Living the Life of a Fairytale Princess
by paigetheclarinetist
Summary: Nymphadora Weasley's fairytale life includes scheming with her friends, falling for her best friend, dueling with an evil cousin, having a brother in Slytherin, and having every mistake she makes publicized. Perfect.
1. Living the Life of A Fairytale Princess

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to _moi_.**

**I am actually continuing this story, for the record! This is a sequel to a story I wrote, somewhat, but you don't NEED to read the story before it in order to understand this. That other story isn't on here, anyway. Enjoy, dearies! I have up to chapter eight written, _by the way_. :)**

**-P**

* * *

Nymphadora Hermione Weasley is my name. I suppose it's a bit long, and it's weird as anything I have seen and heard in my eleven and a half years, but I like it. It's better than all my other siblings' names, I suppose- Sirius, Cassiopeia, Pollux, Violetta, Cygnus. I think Violetta and I are the only two not named after constellations. I asked Mum- that's Paige Weasley, for those of you who don't know- why she had such an infatuation with stars and all that, and she said something about it being a Black-family tradition. I didn't really believe that- we aren't Black's anymore, we're Weasley's. Thank Merlin for that, too. Uncle Harry told me that the Black family was all in Slytherin, and that is _not_ an option.

Yes, my first day of Hogwarts is tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll ride over to Kings Cross Station with my Mum and Dad- who is the famous Weasley Wizard Wheezes' co-owner, George Weasley- and ride to Hogwarts. Uncle Fred and Dad have already set me up with a collection of pranks to set off among the school, Mum, Aunt Ani, Aunt Hermione, and Aunt Ginny have filled my trunks with the latest clothing from Sapphire, Uncle Ron and Uncle Harry have told me stories of their days at Hogwarts- they've scared me senseless with their tale about Fluffy; I despise dogs, except Mum and my little brother- by five minutes- Sirius' Animagus forms.

So, you see, I have a very involved extended family. My three aunts and three uncles are probably just as involved in mine and my siblings' lives as they are in their own children, and in my cousins'. I have more aunts, uncles, cousins, and my grandparents, but they aren't quite as in the thick of it as they are. Mum and Dad say that the eight of them are the Golden Eight, a huge family of close friends and siblings.

First is my Mum, who is by far the most amazing person in my family. Okay, so I probably say that about all of my family members, except Rose. I despise Rose. But we'll get to that. Anyway, as I said, my Mum is just amazing. Paige Aurelia Weasley, nee Black. Mum is a Metamorphmagus, and an Animagus- she, as I said earlier, transforms into a dog. I really wish I was born exactly like Mum like Sirius was, but no, I was cursed with hair like Uncle Fred- a little darker than my dad's- and amber eyes with golden flecks, like Aunt Hermione. I guess it wasn't a curse, I looked pretty most days, unless it was humid. Oh, getting off track. Back to Mum. She's quite loud and obnoxious, and Aunt Ani said that she is probably the most pushy person ever. She's peppy, too, and really sarcastic, which is one of the very few things I actually did get from her. Sirius didn't, he's the nice one in my family. Mum's very blunt, probably too much; she makes Aunt Hermione quite pissed with her. She also has a really bad mouth, according to Aunt Herms and Aunt Ani, who seem to be the only two in my family who care about it. All of Mum's bad personality qualities that she has have seemed to be growing even more so in me, except her constant peppiness. I hate being peppy. I also have her fantastic fashion sense for me and everyone else, and I'm really good at makeup and hair. Even though I'm only almost twelve, I'm better at applying eyeliner then any of my aunts.

Then there's my dad, George Weasley. I can't ever remember his middle name, not like I can remember Fred and Ron's- Ani and Hermione are _always_ screaming their full names when they're mad at them. My dad is rather quiet when he's around Mum, but when it's just me, Dad, Antoinette, and my uncles, he talks a lot more. I think Mum just over-talks and he's afraid to get a word in edgewise. But with Fred, Ron, and almost-silent Harry, he talks more than any of them. He's like a male version of Mum, honestly. Dad's a prankster, too; he's taught me all of his good pranks and things, and I have blown the eyebrows off of my siblings and cousins so many times testing his experiments. Mum has never gotten mad, though; she's tolerant of it as long as I don't get one of the youngest ones involved. None of my aunts get mad, except that one time I blew up Aunt Hermione's favorite book… Whoops. I blamed it on Rose, though, so I didn't get in _as much _trouble.

Then there's my absolute _favorite_ aunt, Hermione. She's my favorite because she's exactly like Mum, but a bit meeker at times, and she actually knows how to yield her sharp wit. Her vocabulary's a little bigger, too. Aunt Hermione is responsible for my amber eyes. To tell you the truth, I don't know how. She's not a blood relative. But Mum said something about rings and bonding and mind-reading… I'm not really sure. But I do know they can read each other's thoughts, that's how they're such perfect planners on every surprise birthday party for Dad and his twin, Uncle Fred. Hermione is _also_ responsible for my best friend in the whole entire world, Antoinette. I'll tell you more about Antoinette later, but she's just amazing. Aunt Hermione is almost always pregnant- she is this time, with a girl. She says she's going to name her Regina. My family names children strange things- Verity and Alasdair are two prime examples.

Then there's Uncle Fred, who's married to Aunt Hermione. He's by far my favorite uncle. He's a huge prankster, and Mum says that I'd be better off as Fred Weasley's daughter instead of George's. He's smart and witty and he's always joking. But Mum also says that I got a not-so-good trait from Uncle Fred- I hide my emotions too much. But Uncle Fred assures me that it's not such a bad thing, seeing as _other people_ pray on your emotions when you're weak. I talk to Fred too much.

Then there's Aunt Ani, who's just wonderful. She's more mothering than my Mum and the other aunts, and not quite so blunt. She tries to euphemize everything around anyone under seven, which is good for them, but she doesn't beat around the bush with me and Antoinette.

Then Uncle Ron, who's a bit stupid, I must say. Or at least I think so; Aunt Ani just thinks he's terribly brilliant most of the time, when she isn't yelling at him. Maybe it's because I'm supposedly amazingly smart.

Then Aunt Ginny, who I'm not really as close with. I suppose she's the girly one in my family, for she's always surrounded by all the girls, except Nettie and I. Our fathers and uncles are planning on raising us to be good girls that know how to hang out with the guys, seeing as Sirius seems to be a little on the fruity side- but I can only say that around Uncle Fred, or Dad will get upset. Aunt Ginny has too much of a temper, and she's stubborn as a mule. We butt heads a lot, probably too much.

And finally, my shyest uncle, Harry. He's the savior of the magical and Muggle world, I know all of that, but he's quiet. Aunt Ginny says that he turns in on his own thoughts most of the time instead of verbalizing what he's thinking; I understand, I do that sometimes. Rarely, seeing as my mouth is always chattering, but _sometimes_.

Yes, those are the adults running my life. My life as a Fairytale Princess. Because, yes, that is what I am. I am the daughter of a Weasley, which makes me important enough; but I'm also related to the Boy-Who-Lived, and to two members of the Golden Trio. If that was not enough- which it was, trust me- my whole entire family had a fairytale written about them, a fairytale of romance and magic. And I, Nymphadora Hermione Weasley, was the first baby born in the Golden Eight. I'm even more important because of _that_! Honestly, there are so many ways why I'm important, somebody should write a book.

And what really sucks is that I do _not_ want to be important. I, similar to most of my family, do not want the fame. None of my cousins, none of my aunts and uncles, and definitely _not_ my parents. Mum, Aunt Ginny, and Aunt Hermione want to be famous because of Sapphire, and Dad, Uncle Ron, and Uncle Fred want to be famous because of the store, and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ani- Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms professors, respectively- don't want to be famous _at all_.

I do believe that I am probably the most infamous of the Weasley children, because I am the eldest. It's not a fun responsibility, knowing that my first day at Hogwarts would be setting an example for my siblings that would follow. I don't think Sirius has quite as much burden set on his shoulders, as Antoinette- who is the eldest in her family- and I do. Quite a lucky little bloke.

If you heard me earlier, I am a Fairytale Princess. Yes, that is what my life is described as. I suppose my life is just wonderful compared to what my family used to live like; we have a lot of money, and our house is just beautiful, and we can do and have whatever we want, basically whenever we want. And I, Nymphadora Hermione Weasley, am the eldest Fairytale Princess. My life- and Antoinette's, seeing as she does everything I do- that I'm living is probably the most watched and scrutinized life in the wizarding world; I've been in the Daily Prophet eight times for going to various balls and cotillions, and Antoinette has been in it six times.

You may ask, 'Why aren't Sirius, Lily, Allison, and Elisabeth watched as much as you two?' Maybe it's because we're the oldest girls. Maybe because Sirius is too shy and he doesn't go out much. Maybe it's because Elisabeth, Lily, and Allison don't go out as much as we do, either, and when they do they're always surrounded by their friends and you can't see them.

But I know why Antoinette Aurelia- she shares my Mum's middle name- Weasley and I are watched more than any of the others. We have a habit of screwing up. And screwing up in public. Like the time I dumped red wine down my white cotillion dress,- on complete purpose, I hate cotillions- making the Daily Prophet print papers that stated, 'Eldest Weasley Girl An Alcoholic At Young Age?' or when Antoinette and I shot an obscene hand gesture at one of the photographers and they publicly questioned our parents' actions at raising us. We mess up, the papers print it, and try to make it seem like the fame of our families has gone to our heads.

I'm living the life of a Fairytale Princess, and I think that I can justify the fact that I'm doing a terrible job of it.


	2. I'm Such An 11 Year Old

"Hey, Nymph!"

My head sprung up from my pillow, my eyes snapped open, and I immediately jumped out of bed. I wasn't much of a lie-abed, nor were my other siblings; that was more like my other cousins.

I looked around my room as I searched for my glasses, trying to see which sibling of mine had woken me up. It had sounded like a girl's voice, but Pollux and Sirius both had rather girlish tones. I scooped my black plastic rectangular glasses off the table and put them on, "Oh, morning, Violetta."

Violetta, my sibling closest in age to me, not counting Sirius, waved cheerfully. "We're leaving for King's Cross Station in twenty-seven minutes, Nymphadora. Are you going to get ready, or are you going to take forever and miss the train because you were trying to pin your hair in perfect place?"

I crinkled my button nose and laughed, "Do I look like Lily-Marie to you?" Violetta laughed, too, and followed me into the bathroom that shared a door with my room. I pressed my face up to the mirror and stuck out my tongue.

My hair was in its usual smooth and silky state, hanging down to my chin in a blunt bob that Mum cut for me. Mum always says I'm a beautiful girl, but sometimes I wish I had Violetta's poetical black hair and green eyes, or Cassiopeia's strawberry blonde curls and Dad's bright blue eyes. I don't usually care about looks, but sometimes I do. Like today, when I knew for sure I'd be seeing someone special…

As I scrubbed my teeth and face to make sure they were perfectly clean, then brushed my hair- one-hundred strokes, just as Mum taught me- Violetta stared at me. I applied the lightest touches of eyeliner to my eyes, and disappeared into my closet beside the bathroom. Violetta was still following and staring.

"Vi, what's your deal?" I asked softly, for Violetta was one of those people who was so beautiful, you never wanted to see her upset. I would usually use my normal obnoxious voice like Mum's, but Vi seemed to have a power over people; even Mum softened around her.

Violetta watched me as I changed into my favorite jeans that were just a little too snug, but looked perfect on me, and a tight-fitting shirt with the Chudley Canons logo on the front. Uncle Ron bought it for me.

"Why are you staring at me?" I raised my voice a little so she'd stop staring and listen to me.

She froze, then looked up. "Why are you dressing like that?"

"I always dress like this, Vi."

"_Eyeliner_?"

"I'm starting Hogwarts and I'm almost twelve years old. I think I'm granted to wear a little bit of eyeliner!"

"Who are you getting ready for, Nymph?" Her knowing eyes scanned over me, boring into my soul, as if trying to discover why I was acting so different- which I _wasn't_.

I tried to laugh it off. I shook my head and shooed her out of the closet. But she smiled as she left, and I knew she knew. She knew that I was getting ready for a certain someone. A certain someone who was also going to start Hogwarts today… Yes, a boy. And no, not my brother, that's disgusting.

"Nymphadora, the Jordan's are here!" Mum called from downstairs. My ears perked; Remus Jordan. Yes, that was the special someone. I already had heard Uncle Harry talk to Aunt Ginny about how wonderful it would be if we got married, like my namesake and his namesake, both deceased, did before the war ended.

Yes, I, Nymphadora Hermione Weasley, had a crush on Remus Jordan. Oh, the irony.

My feet moved faster than I think I've ever seen them and I flew down the stairs into the main hallway. Lee, Angelina, and their sons, Lee II, George, and Remus stood by the door talking pleasantly to Mum and Dad. Remus' eyes lit up when he saw me; he'd been my best friend since we were tiny babies, according to Mum.

"Hey, Remy!" I flung my arms around him and almost tackled the boy to the floor. His mother laughed, and his father shook his head, wondering what he'd done to deserve a boy that was so easily trampled by a girl.

"Hey, Dora. Are you excited?"

"'Course I am!"

His brown eyes flickered, also excited. A lock of deep brown hair fell into them, and I think I swooned a little bit. I wobbled on my feet, almost fainted, and then kept staring into his eyes. I'm such an eleven-and-a-half year old.

* * *

"We take off in six and a half minutes," Remus said in a precocious know-it-all tone. It made me smile; anyone else with such a obnoxious voice would probably cause me to swear off of them immediately, but I knew Remus didn't _mean_ to act like that. I've asked him before, and he promised me that he doesn't mean to act that way, it's just how it happens. Sirius looked down at his watch, the one Mum had charmed to never fall off his wrist so he wouldn't lose it, and nodded. I don't know why she charmed it, she knows that I'm more apt to lose something than Sirius.

"Stop, Remy. They have _never_ been on time for anything- that's Aunt Hermione's only problem, she drives too slow and won't let Uncle Fred just charm the blasted car." I crossed my legs and leaned back against the compartment seat.

Sirius laughed, "You act like our mum is any better." I slapped his arm; he pouted. Girlishly. Yup, that's my twin for you. Nice and girlish. I adore Sirius, I really do, but he may possibly be the most annoying guy I've ever met- except James. James is definitely more annoying, but that's because he's nine.

The compartment slammed open and a flurry of black curls and grey feathers- her owl, I _hope_- that was Antoinette Aurelia Weasley attacked Sirius, Remus, and I. The unbelievably tall girl sat down her birdcage and beamed at me, "Nymphie! We're going to Hogwarts!"

Remus grabbed Sirius' wrist and checked his watch. "You almost missed the train. We take off in three minutes and forty-five seconds."

Antoinette looked away from me to give Remus a dirty look, "Thanks for that, Big Ben." I chuckled, and pulled Antoinette down beside me in the compartment seat.

"Where's the other girls?" I asked, glancing over at Sirius who was probably waiting their arrival; he got along much better with them than with Nettie and I. "Finding their own compartment so they can primp and put on makeup, right?"

"Something to that affect." Antoinette smirked. "Sirius, I think they're in the compartment three down from us. You can go find them, we don't need you."

Sirius glowered, before jumping to his feet, grabbing his man-purse- which he called in a hoity-toity way a 'messenger bag.' Whatever, if it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, it's a duck- and tore off to find our younger cousins. He was such a weird boy. He never really talked much around me, and I'd heard from Antoinette that he talked a mile a minute when he was with the other three girls.

Antoinette pulled her legs up on the compartment seat and grinned. "I'm so excited!"

I nodded vigorously, and Remus did too. "We're excited too. Very excited; we'll be Gryffindors, won't we?"

"'Course we will! My sisters and your pansy brother, maybe not. But we sure will be!" Antoinette flung her arm around my neck. "Don't tell me you're worrying about it!"

Remus shrugged. "I am. My parents were both in Gryffindor, but you never know what could happen…"

"Teddy's in Gryffindor!" I chimed in, waving my index finger around to prove my point. Not that it worked, but it made me feel better. "Victoire's in Ravenclaw. I'm not surprised, though. Uncle Bill threw a fit. Every Weasley has been in Gryffindor, 'cept Vicky, now."

"I'm not a Weasley, Nymph. How is that supposed to comfort me?"

I shrugged. "I guess it isn't. But you shouldn't worry so much, Remy! If you have courage, you'll get sorted into Gryffindor. We have courage, don't we?"

"'Course we do!" Antoinette cried proudly. "More courage than anybody!" Then she sunk back in her seat, and I could tell she wasn't so sure. Remus was obviously not sure. I was not sure. But Victoire had been outcast from the family for a whole month after she got placed in Ravenclaw. And surely a member of the Golden Eight not being sorted into Gryffindor would earn even more time than that…


	3. Times When Cursing Is Acceptable

My fears would be confirmed, I had soon assured myself of it. I would be sorted into Hufflepuff and my family would never speak to me again, except Mum, who went to Beauxbaton anyway.

I clutched onto Antoinette and Remus' elbows as we walked into the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Professor Longbottom- who I'd known since babyhood, thanks to Uncle Harry being a professor and all- shuffled us towards the front of the Great Hall towards the small stool where the Sorting Hat sat. I'd heard the story of the Sorting Hat- it had sang every year until Voldemort was defeated, and then it stopped. Possibly from happiness, or maybe just because it was tired of singing every year- which was what _I_ thought. But either way, it stopped. Works for me, I'd rather they just sorted me and sent me to the Gryffindor table.

I saw Headmistress McGonagall sitting up at the staff table, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ani on either side of her. Aunt Ani Flooed home nightly to stay at her own home with Uncle Ron, while Uncle Harry went home on the weekends only. He was the head of Gryffindor house, which just made me want to be sorted into it even more.

Professor Longbottom walked up to the hat, scroll of names in his hand. He started to call out names, starting with As and running through them. I didn't need to pay attention for a while; I was a Weasley, and Remus was a Jordan. I turned to Antoinette and whispered into her ear. "I'm nervous." I placed my hand on my fluttering stomach.

Antoinette wrinkled her nose and bent her head to look down at her feet. Her sheath of black hair tumbled over her shoulders and covered her face so she could leave my statement without a comment. Yes, the brave Antoinette was nervous too.

Remus elbowed me, "Oh, please. You know you're going to get sorted into Gryffindor."

"Jordan, Remus."

Whoa. I guess there weren't as many A-Ks as I thought. Remus squeezed my arm tightly before he released and walked up to the stool. He seated himself and Uncle Neville- oops, Professor Longbottom- put the Sorting Hat on his head. Almost as soon as it touched his perfect brown hair- oh, I was definitely obsessed- the Sorting Hat cried out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The whole table erupted into applause, and I saw my oldest adopted cousin, Teddy, clap Remus on the back and help him into a seat. There was a set of empty seats near him, and when I caught his eye he pointed at them and mouthed, "For you and Nettie. Good luck!"

I grinned, feeling a little less nervous. "Nettie, she's at R."

Nettie nodded, and she whispered to me and pointed out various first years to me as we waited, rather impatiently.

"Weasley, Allison," Professor Longbottom called. I immediately perked up and watched my cousin begin her stride towards the stool. She was tall and slender, but her new school shoes were already scuffed and her knees were scraped up; she was a klutz. Her hair was currently a shade of ice blue, as she was one of the three Weasley's who was a Metamorphmagus.

The hat was placed on her head. It pondered momentarily, before shouting out, "Ravenclaw!" I froze and smacked Antoinette's elbow. She smacked out. My cousin was relatively indifferent to it; she grinned and went to join a new friend of hers who was also seated at the Ravenclaw table.

"Weasley, Antoinette." The whole Great Hall started to murmur at the surprise of their being two Weasley girls, and of one of them already being sorted into Ravenclaw. Super. Back to being the center of attention once again; I thought Hogwarts would be my escape!

Antoinette strode proudly up to the stool and seated herself daintily; she and I could act like little ladies for a crowd, but we'd both be back to normal after the sorting. Once again, the hat barely touched her head before yelling in a voice just as loud and obnoxious as the ones Nettie and I possessed. "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Yes!" Teddy and Remus yelled triumphantly. Antoinette hurried to join them both; her sisters shared worried glances. Would the quadruplets be separated even more? Lily-Marie and Elisabeth were nothing without each other and Allison! They could care less about Antoinette, I knew, for she wasn't as preppy and proper as they were. And she was a lot more popular at primary, being older.

"Weasley, Elisabeth." More surprised murmurs; Merlin, would they stop? There were six of us, for Pete's sake!

"RAVENCLAW!"

Elisabeth and Allison promptly broke down into happy tears. She congratulated her as she sat down, and she just waved her sister off, too happy to speak that they were together. A smile crossed my face, and when I looked over at Antoinette, who was in a full-out grin.

"Weasley, Lily-Marie."

"RAVENCLAW!"

Then I knew it was time. It was time for me to go up and be sorted. Oh, Merlin. I should curse. I really want to curse. Mum has told me that there are times when cursing is appropriate, and I think now would be one of those times. No, I was going to resist! I could resist!

No, I couldn't.

BLOODY HELL!

"Weasley, Nymphadora."

Yes, that was my name. I looked down at my feet and started to walk. One step, two step, on and on. I made it to the stool, sat down. Longbottom approached me with the Sorting Hat and sat it down on my head. He whispered downwards as he did it, "Don't be nervous, Nymph."

I nodded and the hat rested solely on my head. I've heard the story of how my father argued with the Sorting Hat, for the Sorting Hat attempted to split up Fred and George by sending George to Hufflepuff. I can't believe that happened, and I wonder if it actually did; I heard Uncle Harry mention something about arguing with the Sorting Hat to be placed in Gryffindor, as well. My father has a habit of taking other people's stories and making them his own. He likes to sound exciting to his children.

"Well, my fifth Weasley of the day… I think you would be a good Slytherin."

"No!" I whisper-hissed, similar to what Uncle Harry had done so many years ago. "I refuse to be placed in Slytherin."

"Ravenclaw? Hufflepuff?"

"Absolutely not."

"Well, then Gryffindor would be the place for you… Might I ask why?"

I stiffened; Uncle Harry didn't tell me that the Sorting Hat would ask a question of _me_! "I don't want to be away from Antoinette and… and Remus."

"Remus? Hmm, Nymphadora and Remus, once again… Well, I can't break up true love, can I? GRYFFINDOR!"

I pushed the hat off my head and all but ran to join Antoinette and Remus. Remus wrapped his arms around my neck and hugged me.

"Did the Sorting Hat tell you anything, Nymph?" Antoinette asked. "It said I'd be placed in Gryffindor, only to find my true love. I don't get that _at all_." Well, most eleven-year-olds _don't_.

"Well, that means that your true love is also in Gryffindor, Antoinette," Remus said. "It said something weird to me… about Nymphadora, actually." He looked at me strangely, and I choked a little.

"Like what, Rem?" I managed to spit out.

"Asked me why I was so intent on being a Gryffindor… and I said you and Nettie. Told me he couldn't dare break up another Remus and Nymphadora, for they were the truest of loves that has ever crossed the threshold of Hogwarts.

"Said something similar to me; said he couldn't break up-" I swallowed, daring myself to say it. "True love." Remus shrugged it off; he'd question me about it later, I assumed. Or, if I was lucky enough, he didn't understand what I had said. I mumbled a bit, I suppose.

"Weasley, Sirius!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

Oh, time to curse again. WHAT THE HELL?


	4. A Talent For Screwing Up

I walked up to the common room with Antoinette, Remus, and another Gryffindor first year, Austin Finn, who we'd befriended immediately. From the way Antoinette was looking at Austin out of the corner of her eye, I think she liked him. I could understand that, I suppose. His blonde hair was kind of wavy, and it flipped out around the tops of his ears, a contrast to Remus' perfectly straight brown hair, and he had really big blue eyes. He was shy, though, and he seemed awkward around all the older girls. And me, because he was kind of short and I'm not.

I was kind of in shock, so I didn't talk much. Sirius, my _brother_, my twin, was a Slytherin! My parents would sob! My mother had said to me before I left, "I don't care if you aren't a Gryffindor. But don't be a Slytherin- that's what ruined my family." And I know what she meant; Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy, Regulus Black. Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers. Mum was a Black, and almost all of her family that went to Hogwarts were in Slytherin- except Andromeda, Nymphadora, and Sirius.

But I couldn't believe that my darling brother, annoying and strange and unlike a Weasley as he was, was _going to be a Slytherin_! It was ridiculous!

Well, I guess _you_ don't know how annoying and strange and unlike a Weasley he was. I'm convinced that my brother would be better off as a girl. He likes the color black, and spiked belts. And he doesn't wear anything but black. He acts like a girl a lot, and gets along with my other cousins just because they aren't _me_. He carries around a man-bag and he straightens his hair with a Muggle flat iron. He really _does_ act like a girl.

He studies dark magic. I know he doesn't know that I'm aware of it, but he does. Mum knows, too. Dad doesn't. And Sirius doesn't like pranks. He's too, well, _serious_. Aunt Hermione told me that if anyone was going to try and ruin the Weasley family, it would be Sirius. Except for my three cousins, he showed nothing but contempt towards us.

Antoinette and I strayed behind the group of first years to talk to Teddy, who was also still shocked that four of his six cousins wouldn't be joining him. The look on his face was clear, or maybe it was from his snog session with Victoire.

"Teddy, why is Slytherin so _bad_?" I asked, not really wanting the answer. Well, I did. But I didn't at the same time.

He shrugged. "It's always been bad. Ever since Salazar Slytherin decided that he would only take purebloods, or something to that affect, and he was so prejudiced against half-bloods and Muggle-borns. I guess the dark families agreed with him, and they were the ones that got sorted into there. And then Lord Voldemort was sorted into Slytherin, and you learned about how that turned out."

I sighed. "I think it's preposterous."

"Mostly it is, Nymph." Teddy was used to the big words that constantly spewed out of my mouth, even when I didn't know what they meant. I hear other people say things and then I say them; I'm a bit of an conformist. This time I did actually know what it meant, so you should be proud. "But Slytherin people almost always come out bad. I've never met one that didn't."

I sighed again. This time Antoinette shared it with me. "My dad said if I got in anything but Gryffindor, he'd be pissed," she said.

Teddy shook his head, "I should yell at you for that. But I know that's how you've been taught, with Fred Weasley as your dad."

"And George and Paige Weasley as your godparents," I murmured.

Teddy nodded in agreement and chuckled. "Okay, let's go in. _Harry Potter_."

"Hey, our uncle!" we cried in unison after the portrait door swung open. Teddy cocked an eyebrow at us, and I grinned.

"Yes, Teddy, we know he's famous," Antoinette snapped. "You don't have to tell us that. We _know_. But we're only eleven, what do you expect from us?"

* * *

Antoinette and I rushed straight up to our dormitories as soon as we'd finished meeting the other first years and our prefects. I promised Remus I'd be back in the common room before we had to go to bed, but we wanted to meet our roommates first.

As soon as we walked in, two girls sitting on one of the beds jumped up and ran at us.

"Are you first years, too?" the first squealed.

"Yes, are you?" said the second with a little less excitement then her friend.

I stepped back a little to examine them, then calmed down as soon as I did.

The first girl was a blonde, but instead of perfect long locks, they were cropped short in a little pixie cut and hugged her flawless face. When she turned around to go back to her bed, leading Antoinette and I with her, I saw her things already tossed all over her bed. She was already out of her robes, and wearing skinny jeans and a cute orange shirt; we'd get along well.

The second girl had black hair like Antoinette, and it was almost as long as Nettie's, too. Her face was bright and cheerful, and she was wearing clothes that seemed familiar to me- it took a few minutes for me to realize that they were both decked out in Sapphire pieces, making me like them even more. Her bed was neat still, and her clothes were already out of her trunk and in the dresser across from her bed.

The blonde girl plopped down on the edge of her bed and patted the empty spots beside her, "I'm Calgary. But most everyone calls me Cal." Her mannerisms reminded me of my little sister Cassiopeia, perky and easily excitable. I liked her immediately.

The raven-haired girl seated herself beside Antoinette. "My name is Ash." Her wide smile and warm golden-brown eyes proved that she would also be a great friend at Hogwarts. She moved a little slower than Calgary, more pondering when she did things, and talked the same way.

"I'm Nymphadora," I said, then pointed with my thumb at Antoinette. "And this is my cousin, Nettie. Antoinette's her real name, but it's just too long."

"Not really the most fortunate of names, either," Antoinette added in an undertone. Calgary laughed; I don't think she got the fact that Antoinette was being completely serious.

"Oh, you two are _Weasley's_!" Ash whispered. We nodded.

Calgary clapped her hands, "We're going to be best friends with Weasley's! Paige and Hermione's daughters, aren't you?"

"Yup."

"Yes, we've seen you in _The_ _Daily Prophet. _And in _Sapphire_, that is by far our favorite magazine! But don't you have three more sisters?" she asked Antoinette, then turned to me. "And you have a brother?"

"That would be Elisabeth, Allison, and Lily-Marie. Not the most appealing of girls, they're far too girlish for my taste," Antoinette replied. "Ravenclaw." Calgary took in a sharp breath, and she obviously knew about the Weasley's and how they were always sorted into Gryffindor. "I'm the pride and joy of my family right now."

I nodded, "As am I… my brother isn't a Gryffindor." I didn't want to tell them who my brother was and where he was sorted; I knew what happened to you if even one member of your family was in Slytherin. It had happened to the best of people, for I had gotten dirty looks all the way up to the tower after Sirius was sorted.

Calgary and Ash both gasped a little, their eyes wide. It was unheard of for four Weasley's out of six to not be sorted into Gryffindor- it was unheard of for just one to be placed in a house other than Gryffindor. I got up to begin unpacking; I didn't want pity, even if they were to be my future best friends, nor did I want to think anymore about sorting. I was sorted, that was that. Antoinette followed me, most likely thinking the same thing I did.

I lifted a few shirts out of my trunk, glanced down at my watch- the pretty silver one with red sapphires, my Mum's and my favorite gem, encrusted around it- and smiled. "I have to go back down and meet Remus. Coming, Nettie?"

Antoinette looked up. "Will Austin be down there?"

"I assume so."

"Oh, Austin Finn?" Calgary's eyes lit up. Antoinette nodded vigorously, as if daring the girl to take him from her. She was a vicious eleven-year-old. Calgary recoiled a little, "He's sweet. I'm more interested in that boy who was placed in Slytherin, Sirius…" I jumped up a little from in front of the dresser and started towards Antoinette. "He's sweet, doesn't he look sweet? Did you see him, Nymphadora?"

"Just plain Nymph will suit me, or Dora," I replied. "Yes, I saw him. He looks sweet- awfully sweet."

That was my last reply before I disappeared downstairs to visit Remus; I needed to talk to him and find out how I could possibly let Calgary and Ash know that Sirius, the 'awfully sweet' Slytherin, was my brother. And until I did, I'd probably have to listen about how sweet or adorable he was, making me feel guilty that I wasn't even owning up to him being my brother!

As Antoinette rushed downstairs behind me, she whispered into my ear, "When are you going to tell them the truth? It's awfully early to be lying to your roommates."

"I suppose so," I said. "But I'm a fairytale princess with a talent for screwing up and fixing it myself- I'll take care of it."


	5. I'm Just So Perfect

"I'm a terrible person, right, Remus?" My head was on Remus' shoulder and I was having what you could probably label as a breakdown.

"No, you aren't. It's all right that you are hurt by Sirius being placed there, but you shouldn't feel ashamed of him. I mean, one of the girls even admitted that she liked him! Doesn't that mean something to you? Like, maybe they don't even care about the house you are in, as long as you're interiorly good?"

"You talk so good," I muttered. And indeed he did. I felt a little inferior with Remus on occasion, then he'd do something sweet like kiss my forehead and I'd not feel that way anymore.

His lips hit my skin- yes, my forehead! Honestly, we're first years at Hogwarts!- and I was immediately at peace from the connection. What was it I always felt when Remus was touching me? I assumed before that it was nothing but the ramifications of me having the _largest _crush on him, but maybe it was a little more. I'm only almost twelve, I don't know much about a little more. I'd have to wait, until I was older. Then maybe I'd know what exactly that butterfly feeling in my lower-stomach and the dizzying tilt of my head meant…

-------

A flood of Weasley letters arrived with the post the next morning. I was sitting with Ash, Calgary, Antoinette, Remus, and Austin when my Mum's owl Sara-Beth dropped off a letter to Antoinette, Remus, and I from my parents. More came to me, congratulations from Aunt Ani and Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione and Uncle Fred, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry, Aunt Penelope and Uncle Percy, Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill, our grandparents and Uncle Charlie; Antoinette and Remus- who was an old family friend by now- the same. Calgary, Ash, and Austin watched us as if they'd never seen so many letters, but I suppose not everyone has five aunts and six uncles, plus a set of grandparents and an alarming amount of siblings. The rest of the Gryffindor table- and almost the whole Great Hall- was also staring for the same reason- or so I thought.

I read aloud various letters to the table, who chuckled at things that my mum and my aunts said, and full-out laughed when one of my uncles intersected and left a comment of his own.

"'_Congratulations, Nymphadora! We are immensely proud of you, and we'll see you on Christmas. Love, Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill. P.S. Get on the Quidditch team, please? -B.W. P.P.S. Ignore your uncle, just focus on your studies! - F.W._' Oh, Merlin. There's like eight more PS's!" I cried out, dropping the letter.

My friends had stopped listening to me, and their eyes were on Sirius across the room at the Slytherin table. He seemed to have found friends over there, and from the looks in their beady eyes and how they held themselves, I don't think he made a good decision.

But Sirius wasn't talking to his friends. He was staring at the red letter in front of him. It was squirming to be opened, and even from across the Great Hall I could see that my brother was close to tears. My family was angry.

Antoinette smacked my arm and pointed across the room. My cousins were seated there, facing us, and a red letter was falling from the air to land in front of each of them as well. Lily-Marie immediately opened hers first.

My three cousins jumped backwards as a loud yell erupted from the envelope. "LILY-MARIE EVANS!"

I cringed; my Aunt Hermione's voice was clear. She was pissed.

"YOU HAVE BEEN AT HOGWARTS FOR MERELY A FEW HOURS, AND I'M ALREADY EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU! YOUR UNCLE HARRY TOLD ME EVERYTHING-- YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN SPREADING RUMORS ABOUT ANTOINETTE AND NYMPHADORA, JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE JEALOUS!"

Then Uncle Fred's voice replaced Aunt Hermione's. "IF YOU HAD FOUGHT WITH THE BLOODY HAT TO GET INTO GRYFFINDOR, YOU WOULDN'T _HAVE_ TO BE STOOPING SO LOW TO RIDICULOUS GOSSIP!"

Antoinette jumped from her seat and glared at her sister. That must have been why they were all staring at us.

Then Uncle Fred stopped yelling and Aunt Hermione's voice softened a little. "Oh, Nettie, Nymph. Congratulations, I'm very proud of you both." The Howler disintegrated. Soon, Allison's and Elisabeth's Howlers shouted out at them- Allison's even had an interruption from Uncle Fred- and turned into ashes as well.

Antoinette started to stride over to her sisters' table, but the beginning of someone else's Howler stopped her. We both turned to stare, openmouthed, at Sirius.

Most Howlers at Hogwarts came from angry parents- mostly mothers- screaming at their children for getting a detention or failing an exam, not from not getting sorted into Gryffindor. And most Howlers would be written in a novel in all capital letters. But not when my mum was sending the Howler.

I think Mum's voice is scarier when she isn't screaming. Her voice drops to a low, frightful growl. I am _never_ on the receiving end of that voice, but Sirius is. And Dad, but it always ends up in a gross little snog-fest.

"Sirius Cygnus Weasley, I have never been more disappointed in you in my life. You have always been the boy who stood out, and at first I thought that it was okay. But I've known about your secret studies, your sister has made me aware. You are the luckiest boy alive that you _are _alive. You know what tore my entire family apart? That table where you are sitting, right now. Sirius was outcast, Andromeda too. My family members were ostracized when they didn't become Slytherin, and now that you are, I don't want anything to do with you. Maybe your father does, maybe your aunts and uncles. But as of now, you are _not_ my son."

I took in a sharp intake of breath. My mother was known for going way over the top, but isn't casting away your oldest son a little too much? Of course, I wasn't even admitting that he was my brother at all, so maybe not.

The look of my brother's face made me shake a little. Sirius stood up from the table and directed his melancholy gaze towards me. I shook more. He started walking towards me. I looked at the table. Calgary and Ash started to nudge me, and I felt Remus' hand over mine under the table. So dependable, that boy. If only we were old enough to know what the hell was going on with us.

"Nymphadora, please. Be on my side. It's not my fault!"

"Not your fault that they placed a ragged piece of black fabric on your head and you were stuck in Slytherin?" I replied softly, not raising my eyes to meet his. "Funny, Weasley."

"You're a Weasley?" Calgary gasped. She turned in her seat towards me, and I felt her stare on my face. I didn't look up from the tabletop. Then, I noticed my mistake; they were now aware of my brother, and they'd hate me for lying. I don't know _why_ I thought they'd be affected by him being a Slytherin, anyway! Merlin, I'm an idiot!

I squeezed Remus' hand tighter as Sirius replied, "Yes, I'm her brother! Didn't she tell you that?" He never stopped watching me. Calgary and Ash both shook their heads. "Nymph?"

I felt a sudden rush of bravery that was probably going to get me into trouble. I lifted my head first, and my amber eyes bore into my brother's multi-colored orange, green, and yellow eyes- he was a Metamorphmagus, and he did enjoy switching his eye color around even if he never touched his hair color. I rose to my feet slowly, hovering a few inches above my brother. I'd always been the taller, thinner one.

My voice was just as scathing as my mother's had been. "I'm a Gryffindor. I'm making my family proud of me. Why should I side with you, and ruin that?"

"I'm your brother."

"Not anymore."

"Dora, please!"

"Weasley, that ridiculous Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. I argued back, and it placed me in Gryffindor. Why didn't _you_ do that, eh? You didn't want to be abandoned, did you?"

I knew I was using something against him that he'd never be able to stand. He _did_ want to be abandoned, he didn't want to be with their family. And if he did, he had a funny way of showing it.

He shook his head, his black hair hanging shaggy on his pale cheekbones. "That isn't fair, Nymphadora. Please, talk to Mum."

"No, I refuse to talk to Mum. Goodbye, Weasley." I nodded my head at him and strode proudly out of the Great Hall. Antoinette scurried to keep up with me, and I was pulling Remus along beside me on my way. Calgary, Ash, and Austin were catching up slower, and I could hear their mutterings as we walked.

Yet another screw-up of mine. Not only had I lied to my friends about my brother being in Slytherin, but I'd also abandoned my brother in his time of need. So, my brother would be depressed- not so different, he always seems to be- and my brand new friends wouldn't be my friends anymore. Of course. I'm just so perfect, aren't I?


	6. All On My Own

As I entered the common room again, clutching my class schedule from Uncle Harry in my hand, Ash and Calgary walked straight past me and up the staircase to gather their books and things for class. Great. They seemed mad.

Austin shrugged shyly at me. "I'm sorry about your brother, Nymphadora. I think he's a good person now, but he won't be soon." Austin talked the same way Remus did- _smart_. What was with all the incoming first year males? Did they have to make Antoinette and I feel like complete imbeciles?

Antoinette was standing beside Austin, and her already-bright eyes lit up a little. "Sirius was never a good person, but thank you, Austin." She nodded gracefully at him and he walked off to get his books from his dormitory. Remus joined him, and promised that they'd both be back to walk with us to class.

Antoinette was tactful and clever around boys, she moved with elegance and poise. I shared the same elegance and poise, I suppose, but I still felt gawky around her. Her mature, sophisticated black hair and golden eyes made me feel like a toddler. I guess it was cool that I had sleekly layered hair that fell between my shoulder-blades in a vibrant red- Victoire just lengthened it this morning as my congratulatory you-got-into-Gryffindor present- and stood out because of it, that was my special trait. No other girl in Gryffindor, or even the rest of Hogwarts, will be able to compete against us when we get older.

------

My first class at Hogwarts was one I knew I'd ace immediately. I mean, I'd been learning about it since I was seven. Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'd been learning about the creatures and things, and Uncle Harry has showed us his Patronus thousands of times. So I was set, and there was no way I'd have any trouble.

Actually, Mum has said since the beginning of primary school that I was one of those students who'd never have any trouble in a class and get straight Os on all of my work. Antoinette, on the other hand, did not possess that ability, and I don't think she'll be working too hard anyway. She copied all my work up until now, so why should she change?

I sat down at the table in the back of Professor Potter's class and unpacked my navy silk messenger bag I had picked out from Sapphire, placing all of my school supplies out on my desk. Antoinette fell into the seat beside me, without any supplies as usual, and snitched one of my quills. Remus and Austin soon joined us and unpacked their things as well.

"Oh, bollocks. Can I read off of your book, Nymph?" Antoinette craned her neck to sneak a peak into my bag.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Nettie. Ever thing of bringing some of your things yourself? You've been doing this since we were eight."

Antoinette shrugged and I shoved a bit of parchment towards her, not wanting to resist and have to listen to her beg the whole class. Where I had an impeccable memory, Antoinette couldn't remember a thing. My habit of being prepared for whatever came my way, to Antoinette never bringing a quill or parchment to a class, not even on the first day. Exact opposites.

Professor Potter looked up from his desk when he heard us enter. We, along with Remus and Austin, were the only people in the class. Soon the rest of my class, along with Calgary and Ash, who were still mad at me, would be joining us in the room. Uncle Harry- yes, I've already given up on calling him Professor anywhere but in public- walked over to our table and smiled. "A little nervous, Nymph?"

"Of course not." I grinned back. "How's Aunt Ginny and the_ prince_ of annoyingness?"

"James isn't half as bad as your siblings, I know that for a fact." Uncle Harry shook his head at me.

"No, he _isn't_ half as bad. He's ten times as bad!"

He rolled his eyes and walked away to the front of his class as the other students began to enter the class. Ash and Calgary walked in together, saw the empty seats in front of Nettie and I, and headed for a table away from us. But they began to fill, and the girls had to sit down in front of us with two boys, one with black hair and one with blonde, that I didn't recognize.

I smiled at them as they sat, and they just shook their heads; I guess we'd talk later. I craned my neck to see who the two boys were, then realized that the class was a mix of Slytherin and Gryffindor. That meant that one of the boys in the class was my brother… and I only could see one with black Sirius-like hair. Sitting directly in front of me. Fantastic. One of the boys turned around and I squealed, "Hey, Frank!" My kinda-sorta cousin, Frank Longbottom II, waved back.

"Hey, Nymphadora."

Frank was another one of the people I'd known since birth, and that was the first time I'd seen him since a week before we left for Hogwarts. Frank was the only person- not even Antoinette knew- who knew that I had a crush on Remus. And I don't know how he learned. Just one time, Antoinette was his date for a cotillion and I was Remus', and we switched partners, and it spilled out. He never called me Nymph or Dora or Nymphie, like all my other friends did. It was always Nymphadora.

He asked me a few questions about what I'd heard from our Aunt Ani, who had mentioned in her letter that morning to say hello to Frank and tell him that his new baby sister Alice is doing fine, then turned to greet Ash.

The dark-haired boy beside him turned around to see who sat behind him, and I froze. I had, as usual, been correct. It was Sirius Cygnus Weasley, my brother. Fantastic.

He turned around as Uncle Harry rapped his knuckles on the desk, "Alright, everyone. As you are first years and this is your first day, I will give you five minutes to get to know your classmates, and after that there will be no talking without permission while I am teaching. The seats you are sitting in now will be your seats for the remainder of the year, please change immediately if there are any problems." He nodded his head at the class. "Go along, get to know each other."

Calgary and Ash turned at the same time to look at me. Calgary glared a little, but softened when I gave them an apologetic smile. She didn't soften much, but it was enough to know that she didn't _want_ to be mad.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. "I don't really know who I am right now, and I didn't want my brother being in Slytherin to get in the way of what you thought of me, before I even knew it. I just screw up a lot, and don't always know how to fix it. I really am sorry…" My brother's head rose up a little from where he'd been staring at the table. Blasted eavesdropping brother, why our uncles and our father had taught us to always listen in on other's conversations.

"Understandable," Calgary said, her eyes lighting up. "You're forgiven!"

But Ash wouldn't be that easy. She shook her head. "I… I guess I forgive you, too. But… Merlin, Nymphadora. I think we could be best friends, but you can't lie to us like this."

I stood up to hug her tightly, and as I sat down I wondered about why I had said that to Calgary; 'I don't really know who I am right now.' I finally could have a choice on who I turned out to be, instead of depending on the _Daily Prophet_ to tell the readers that I was an alcoholic or raised incorrectly. Eventually, I'd know who I was, and it would have very little to do with who my family as if I could help it.

Would I be a constant swot, or a Quidditch player, or just a loner with no friends but my family? I don't know if I'm going to be a compulsive liar or a flirt, a popular girl or just a stupid girl who nobody likes. It's complicated, I guess.

And as my uncle started to teach, I was rushed with an overwhelming happy feeling that I was finally at Hogwarts. Finally at Hogwarts where I could learn exactly who I was. I don't have to rely on my family to know who I am. It's a decision I get to make, all on my own.


	7. Yup, Fourteen Centimeters

I think December came earlier this year then it did last year. I mean, there weren't less days or anything, but it surely felt like it. I've had a full class-load, and tons of homework daily for every class I take, so I haven't much time for anything else. I'm not so used to working hard, I'm only eleven and a half.

Well, I'm not really complaining. Because I love December. Especially because of winter. I'm an autumn person, yes, but I do love snow. I hate the cold, but I love snow. And because of this love of snow that I have obtained, I also seem to have the ability to predict when it is coming. Oh, you'll probably say that you can just look up at the sky and know if it was snowing or not. But I mean predicting _before_ it happens.

I rolled out of bed on Saturday morning, the first of December, staring directly out the window as I rose. I had luckily chosen the bed closest to the window, so I could watch the snow fall in the middle of winter when it was late or night, or see the breeze rustle leaves across the ground in the autumn. I stuck my hand through the drapery and pressed my hand against the window, knowing the memorized feeling of frozen glass on skin. Perfect. The first snow.

I pushed back the thick curtains to look out the window. A flutter of white flakes covered the window frame, and they were falling still on the ground. Yes! I knew it was going to snow. I had predicted fourteen centimeters last night at dinner, and the boys had even taken bets on it. Austin bet I'd be able to predict the snow, but not the amount; Frank said I wouldn't be right at all; Remus bet I'd have it all right. I think the winner got a few sickles and a limited-edition Chocolate Frog card.

I stuck out my wand and transformed a nearby twig into a meter-stick. I knew that normal first years couldn't do that so well, but I was the niece of a Charms professor, and my mother had been teaching me household spells since I was eight, I just couldn't perform them for her. I dropped the meter-stick into the snow to measure, and then levitated it back up so I could grab it. I checked the stick, and I was exactly right- fourteen centimeters.

I'd been predicting snow since I could remember. It's one of my many talents, but I think it's my favorite. I don't know how I do it, but once I think about it for a few minutes and check the clouds and sniff the air, I know exactly what snow will appear on my doorstep the next morning, or on my window sill.

"Antoinette, Antoinette!" I jumped off the window seat and dove onto my cousin's bed. "It snowed, I was _right_!" Antoinette let out a loud 'oomph' as I landed on her stomach, and she shoved me off. I muttered an apology, and she chuckled a little, still not seeing clearly.

Antoinette reached over and patted her bedside table to find her glasses, which were angular teal plastic frames her mum had found when traveling in Milan. We both wore glasses, but according to our families and to our friends, we looked better than anyone else with them.

"You're always right, Nymph." Antoinette started to climb out of bed and walked towards her armoire. She pulled out her favorite crimson sweater and her dark, crisp jeans from one of the drawers and changed into them, tucking the bottoms of her jeans into her favorite brown suede boots.

I started to change into my warmest clothes as well, and grabbed my thick brown knee-length trench from a hook by the door. "Should we wake up Remy and go out in the snow?"

"Wake Cal and Ash up, too. And Frank and Austin," Antoinette said. Before I could agree, she was already sitting on Ash's bed, poking the girl's slumbering figure in random spots. I could only hope she didn't miss and poke somewhere awkward. (Yes, I'm only eleven and a half, but I've gone through many days with my dirty-minded family members.)

I rolled my eyes and started towards Calgary's bed, a little irritated that Antoinette _always_ made me wake up the cranky girl. Antoinette wasn't a morning person most of the time, and she could be risen easily with the promise of something fun within an hour of waking up; Ash was just as warming in the morning as she was during the day; and of course I was at my perkiest in the mornings, just like my Mum. But Calgary was a different story, much different.

"Callie?" I sat down gingerly on the edge of her bed, prepared to leap away the minute she started to wake up and tried to slap me. I had bruises from her attacking me in the early morning, even when she told me to wake her up at a specific time. "Calgary Augusta Wilder!"

_Kick_. _Punch. Slap. _Oh, thank Merlin she has terrible aim.

I jumped away from her somewhat still asleep body and almost tripped over Calgary's Muggle Converses. "Calgary, it snowed outside. Come on!"

"Go make new friends," Calgary replied.

I groaned a little and looked over at Ash. She was already changed into her winter-friendly clothes and was pulling her thick cream-colored pea-coat on over a soft cashmere sweater. "Calgary, couldn't you just be like Ash?"

"No."

"Calgary, get _up_."

Calgary pushed off her thick quilts and glared at me. "Are you seriously stupid enough to not notice that I was _talking_ to you? That means I'm _awake_, you git!"

Oh. Whoops. Thank Merlin I had my friends to knock me out of my snow-induced stupidity. I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, to get you awake in my life, I need to get you up and out of bed. It _snowed_. Fourteen centimeters, exactly. Just like I predicted, too."

Calgary grumbled a reply and climbed out of her bed. She trudged over to her messily stuffed armoire and yanked out a few clothing items; all Muggle pieces, I noticed. Her clothes were always by Muggle designers, just like a lot of mine and Antoinette's favorite pieces that we get from my Mum when she goes to trunk sales and things in America. But Calgary had Muggle clothes because she was a Muggleborn- I'm a pureblood, and Antoinette's a half-blood, and we're both from otherwise purely magical families, save her mother.

"So that means Remus wins the bet. I don't see why they ignored him, he's always right and he knows me better than anyone. Ridiculous, that they'd ever disagree with him. And Frank's known me since I was bitty, too. So he should know about my talents! But apparently not," I chirped each sentence, getting louder as I went. "Oh, Callie-poo, I think you'd look just adorable with Frank. Isn't he just adorable?"

"Merlin, you talk constantly." Calgary ran her hand through her pixie cut and groaned a little. "Frank would look better with Ash, black hair with blond. Cute, I suppose. Anyway, I'm still interested in your brother."

I grinned, knowing that I'd finally gotten her awake. You could torture her mercilessly until she decided to perk up, or you could give her a bit of romance to chew on and it'd be like someone gave her a rejuvenating potion. She was a eleven-year-old with an already-developed passion for gossip and love. "Go ahead and be interested in Sirius, but I won't be of any help to you."

"Didn't expect you to be," Calgary grinned back and grabbed her cloak. "Come on, let's get the boys." She dashed out the door, barefoot as usual. I picked up a pair of her boots and followed her, Antoinette and Ash quick on my heels.

"Hello, boys," she was saying when we found her at the door to the first year boys' dormitory. I followed her in fearlessly, something I knew not even the third year girls did. The only girls I'd ever seen go up into the boys' dormitories were seventh years, and I did _not_ want to know what they were getting up to.

I handed Calgary her boots and pounced on Remus' bed. "Remus Jordan! Up, up, up!"

"Bugger off, Dora."

"Come on, it _snowed_!"

He sprung out of his bed as if a match had been lit beneath his buttocks and his eyes lit up, "Seriously?"

I folded my arms across my chest smugly. "Yup. Fourteen centimeters. You win."


	8. A Good Surprise, Dear?

The approach of Christmas gave way to the fourth years and older flittering around over the Yule Ball, and to the third years and younger watching on jealously, hoping someone would ask them to attend.

My fourth year cousin Teddy offered to get a few of his dateless friends to escort me and my friends, but I rejected- politely, of course. I was more interested in leaving early to go home with my family for Christmas. Ash, whose Muggle mother was a CEO and whose father was a lawyer, too busy to take care of her, was going to come and stay with me. My mum was ecstatic to have her daughter's Gryffindor friend come to stay with us, especially since she wasn't in contact with Sirius.

The morning that our Christmas break began was rather hectic. Older students running around to get their things in order before the ball, the younger ones making sure they'd packed their trunks and hadn't forgotten anything. I was sitting with Antoinette, Frank, Remus, and Ash in the Great Hall, waiting for Uncle Harry and Aunt Ani to Floo with us home.

Calgary and Austin were already gone, and so was my brother- my dad said that he'd asked if he could go home with one of his new Slytherin friends, and Dad couldn't really say no with Mum being so mad and everything. And it was perfectly fine with me, not spending Christmas with my traitorous brother. He wasn't even _upset_ that he'd been sorted into Slytherin! He wasn't trying to act like he didn't want to be there at all. He was a traitor, nothing more than that. No way in hell was he my brother.

I wasn't really sure what I expected to see when I returned home. I mean, was Mum just going to tell all of my siblings and cousins that Sirius was not a part of our family anymore? Did she think that the youngest ones would just go along with it and not ask for explanation? Maybe Violetta if Mum was lucky, but the rest? Definitely not!

Mum will probably send Sirius to live with Aunt Antoinette in Austria, or Uncle Charlie in Romania. Somewhere that he couldn't communicate with us, nor his friends, where they could watch over him constantly to make sure he didn't study any dark magic. Maybe she'll even transfer him to Durmstrang, word is over there that there aren't any houses and that all of the students are watched carefully to make sure they do absolutely nothing wrong. I think he'd be better off with all the females at Beauxbatons, he'd fit in much better.

I know Mum is afraid that he will learn enough dark magic to be able to try and control one of us, or worse, kill us. He's already studying it and has been for about a year, and Sirius has always been a quick learner. He can pick up basically anything within a day or two when it takes most people a few months. I'll admit that I fear the same thing as Mum does- Sirius _could_ use his already obtained knowledge and new Slytherin friends to wreck havoc on the Weasley family.

"Nymphadora, is your brother going to be staying in your house now that your Mum has abandoned him?" Ash asked.

I gave her a strange look and mentally counted the times I'd told her that he wasn't. "No, why do you seem to think that?"

"I'm hoping that you can learn to forgive him."

"Why is that?"

Ash looked pointedly at Antoinette, who glared at Remus. Remus sighed. "They're too 'fraid to tell you, I suppose. Here, Nymphie. This is from your brother." He pulled a piece of rolled-up parchment out of the pocket on his cloak and handed it to me.

I unrolled it, noting irritably the flourish on my name on the outside of the scroll that only he would add, and held it open to read.

_Dear Nymphadora,_

_I am quite aware that you are angry with me. Not sure what hinted that towards me, maybe it was all of the times you turned away the minute you saw me, or when you ran abruptly down the hallway the minute I turned the corner. Or maybe it was Ash, giving me a death glare in Potions and then snapping the minute she walked by my table, "Just because Calgary likes you doesn't mean I do- I take Nymphadora's side." I do so believe it was that one, yes. _

_Well, I ask of you to forgive me, please… I'm sorry that I'm in Slytherin. You know I don't want it! You know I'd rather be in any house but this… Please talk to Mother for me. I can't stand to think that she has outcast me from the family, but I know it's true… Anyway, please talk to her. I beseech you, I beg you. I'm on my hands and knees, _please

_Sincerely, _

_Sirius Cygnus Weasley_

I didn't plan on forgiving him, ever; we were never that close, not even as babies. We never had a twin bond as so many did, like my dad and uncle for example. It wasn't like I was throwing away a grand relationship by not accepting his apologies. I crumpled up the parchment into a tiny ball and stuffed it in the tiny pocket on my bright yellow Sapphire skinny jeans.

"He doesn't mean any of that," I said decisively. Antoinette and Ash both nodded reluctantly, knowing better than to agree than to face an argument about it.

Remus just shrugged. "He shouldn't have to apologize. It isn't his fault, and he couldn't have changed the outcome of the Sorting Hat's decision."

"Yes, he could've."

"Who has ever done that before, Nymphadora?"

"_I did_!" I snapped fiercely.

"Well, you are you, and Sirius is Sirius."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You always argue and fight and fuss your way out of doing anything you don't want to do, until you get _your_ way, and Sirius just-"

"Is that a bad thing?" I jumped to my feet, more upset than I should've been with Remus. I'd never been so easily angered in my life, especially not by soft-spoken Remus who cared so much for me, who spoke in a rather positive tone twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. "Yes, I'm stubborn. And yes, I always get my way. And yes, I argue if there is a slight chance that I won't. What is wrong with that? It's the way I am!" I proclaimed proudly.

"It isn't something to be proud of!"

"Well, I _am_ proud of it!" I flicked my wand furiously at my trunk and heaved my other bag over my shoulder, storming off to the entrance of the Great Hall. "Come on, Ash. There's Aunt Ani." Antoinette and Ash scurried behind quickly, dragging their trunks behind them in order to catch up.

I broke down in wracking sobs the moment I was safe in my bedroom. I collapsed on the bed and sobbed into my pillow, feeling the soft cotton pillowcase become soaked with salty tears. Someone rubbed my back comfortingly, and I looked up to see Ash and Antoinette staring down at me. I hadn't noticed they had followed me.

My mum stood at the doorway, and entered the room when she saw my face lifted from the pillow. "Darling, what happened?"

"Remus told her that she shouldn't be proud of herself for being so stubborn," Ash said.

Mum seated herself at the edge of my bed and pushed back a lock of my hair from my already wet face. "Ah, Remus…" She smiled knowingly. "Would you be so upset if it was Antoinette or Ash telling you this? Austin, or Frank?"

I furrowed my brow at her, "Of course I would!"

"Would you be crying into your pillow?"

I thought about it. "No, probably not." Then I slapped my forehead inwardly; Mum wasn't an idiot, definitely not. She'd be able to tell that I liked him. Fantastic.

"Well, dear…"

"Mum, I _know_ that I like Remus, okay? I _know_! But I'm eleven and a half, I'll be twelve in January! I shouldn't fall in love yet!"

"Who said anything about falling in love?" Antoinette asked.

Mum nodded. "Indeed, dear. You shouldn't fall in love yet, but if you do, that's all right. Surely your father would pray you never fell in love at all, but I can understand if you do. I didn't when I was this young, I fell in love when I was much older… But you can always be different. When do you think Aunt Ginny fell in love with Uncle Harry?"

"During the war, of course. That's what Uncle Harry said, when he knew he was in love with Aunt Ginny."

"Yes, but Aunt Ginny loved your uncle when she was but ten years old. Could you say that you are another Ginny Weasley?"

I slammed my head down into my pillow again and felt Ash pull back my hair. "There's a slight possibility," I muttered into the soft goose-down.

"Yes, just as I thought… Remus will be staying with us for Christmas break, did you know that? His parents are going on a much-needed vacation, they've been taking care of Remus' grandfather for a few months now…"

"WHAT?"

"A good surprise, dear?"


	9. The Way I Do

**Disclaimer: (This is a blanket disclaimer for all chapters before and after this one... I hope I'm allowed to do this. (: ) I don't own Harry Potter, that amazing luxury of being able to write whatever she wants about him and his family without the fear of being sued, unless she's copying some other story, belongs to JK Rowling, and only JK Rowling. Lucky woman, that one...**

**I'm breaking my update-only-on-Sunday rule. I've had a terrible week, I haven't gone to school at all. Illness. :// Eww, I know. Then Boyfriend's mom made him break up with me because I'm a year older than he is (It's not even like we could hide it, I'm a good foot and a half taller, too) and therefore made my sickness even harder to deal with. So I'm trying to make him feel better because he's still my looooover, no matter what his mother says. :P **

**Anyway, I'm breaking my rule because I have a lot of chapters written and I like posting them on this before I post them on the other site so I know what people think of them. The people on the other site are a lot harsher when my chapters are bad, because they have to go through a validation queue and such... Eh. **

**-P**

* * *

"A good surprise, dear?"

"Mum, no!" I cried. I jumped off the bed in protest and threw up my arms. "Please! I can't see him right now, I can't face him! Not knowing that-" I stopped before I said too much. But I wanted to finish my sentence…

"Not knowing what?" Ash prompted.

"Not knowing that he doesn't think I'm perfect, and that he'll never like a girl that isn't perfect."

"Why do you have that in your head, Nymphadora Hermione Weasley?" Mum asked, putting her hands on her hips, still a little wide after giving birth to my youngest sister in October. "Surely the arguments you overhear between me and your father make you realize that when a man notices your faults, it makes him love you _more_."

"Remus is perfect, Mum. He deserves someone like him… someone like Lily-Marie or Elisabeth."

"Remus is surely not perfect, love."

"Yeah, definitely not! I mean, he talks way to precociously and he acts like he knows everything and he calls people out on their flaws without noticing his own!" Antoinette said.

I stopped fighting back and smiled. "That's what makes me care for him the way I do."

* * *

I stood in frustration and impatience outside of the large cottage-- that shouldn't even be described as a cottage, it was more like a manor-- that served as my home. Mum held my newest sibling, Cedrella, tight in her arms from the top step on the porch and eyed me suspiciously, as if she expected me to wail into Remus as soon as he Side-along Apparated with my father.

I don't think I plan on hitting him, anyway. Remus, unlike me, is strictly books, knowledge, and an occasional prank, and would engage in a sprightly debate while I'd prefer to just slap the boy silly and practice a few of my freshly learned hexes that Aunt Ginny taught me on him.

Ash rested her chin on my shoulder and leaned her head into mine; we were both the same height, medium-tall, not leggy like Antoinette and not petite like Calgary. I glanced into the mirror on the right side of me and smiled; my red hair was darkening, and I knew that soon it would hold that attractive auburn color that had already blessed my Uncle Ron and Aunt Ani's children. Mum told me I stood to inherit it, since my parents were a redhead and a brunette. I couldn't wait to get it fully, it would look so much better on my head than my bright red curls.

I looked down at my outfit and reanalyzed it. I know I was mad at Remus and all, but I still liked him. And I always wanted to make a good impression for him. Even if he was being a stupid prat.

My dad hit the ground as soon as he Apparated in front of the house, Remus clinging to his arm desperately. Remus' trunk sat to the left of my mum's feet, having arrived ten minutes before. Mum jumped to her feet, not worrying about the three-month-old infant in her arms as she rushed. She stepped up on the tips of her high-heeled black boots and kissed her tall husband's cheek, then leaned down to kiss Remus' forehead.

"Hello, Nymphadora, dear. Ash, nice to meet you!" Dad's voice boomed, scaring Ash a little; she was quieter than my other two roommates, and jumped constantly when she heard a loud noise.

George Weasley is really loud, so I understand the whole jittery thing. Uncle Fred is not half as bad, I know that for a fact. He talks more, but he isn't as thunderous as my father is. Maybe it's a Weasley sibling thing; I know for a fact that I am ten trillion times louder than Sirius, and Antoinette than her sisters.

"Paige, love. Has Ani come over to tell you her news yet?"

Paige-- my mum, of course-- shook her head and looked up from her youngest daughter. "Not yet, although surely she'll be at dinner next door tonight. How'd you find out, or haven't you?"

"Oh, I've found out. Ron's boasting about it like there's no tomorrow."

"He is, eh? Does Hermione know? Surely I'll be able to get it out of her better than out of you."

I examined the look on my father's face. It was happy, his cheeks were a little flushed, his eyes were sparkling. I saw that look often, it was the "I'm so happy that someone in my family is reproducing yet again!" look. Or he'd just got word from Miss Verity over at the store that the sales for the day had rocketed. But I was pretty sure it was the first one.

I jumped up and clapped my hands. "Aunt Ani is going to have a baby!" Dad nodded. Ash and I started to jump and squeal; she was already starting to act like part of the family, I think I should find one of my cousins to marry her off to. Maybe

Mum groaned, "Yet another Weasley is procreating… Honestly, can we not all just stop?"

"Hermione's due in January, Ani'll be due in…" Dad counted on his fingertips. "March, I assume. But that's not all the news she has."

Ash left my side and approached Remus as my parents continued talking. I listened intently to them, but watched her whisper into his ear out of the corner of my eye.

"More news?" Mum snapped her fingers and our house elf Frieda appeared by her side. Mum handed her Cedrella and sent the house elf off with a smile, then looked back up at my father. "Tell me, George."

Dad held up two fingers. "Twins. Yet again."

Mum clapped her hands and her hair turned a vibrant orange. "That's brilliant!"

I tuned out my family for a few moments and stared at Ash, hoping to read her lips. It wasn't hard; Ash was quiet, yes, but she also enunciated every word she spoke perfectly.

"Remus… she doesn't want you to be mad at her."

"I'm not mad."

"Then go talk to her?" She posed it as a question, but I knew that Ash didn't mean it as one. It was a command, and a very strong one at that. "It would solve a lot of problems. You'll be staying here, in the room right beside her, for all of Christmas. You can't stay silent with her, or worse just argue all the time-- more than usual."

"Surely _she_ can," he scoffed.

Ash slapped his elbow. "Remus! Just get your arse over there and apologize for being such a huge prat!"

Remus stepped back a little and both of my parents cocked their eyebrows and looked at her strangely. I giggled when Mum smiled pleasantly, nodded her head in approval, and turned back to her conversation with my father. '_Typical Paige Weasley,_' I thought wryly; most of the time, parents were supposed to be chiding their children for using rude words and protecting them from other children that did. But of course, not _my_ parents. That's why I was happy they were the parents, and not someone like Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope.

"I suppose you ought to listen to her, Jordan."

"'Spected you to think that, Weasley." Remus turned to me and I was able to one-up him for the first time since he got to the house. Same old Remus; tanned, dark, brown eyes, deep brown hair. Definitely hadn't changed in the whole day we'd been apart. He took a step towards me and held out his arms. "Friends again?"

"Definitely!" I charged into his arms and he fell back on his back in the grass, me on top of him. I kissed his cheek sloppily and then pushed off his chest, rolling over onto my back. Ash flung herself on her stomach into the grass beside us and grinned.

"I knew you guys couldn't be mad at each other forever."


	10. And We're Back To Quidditch!

"Is it Christmas, yet?"

"Goodnight, Pollux."

"Nymphadora!" the little black-haired boy shrieked in his girlish five-year-old voice. "Is it Christmas yet?"

I sat up in bed, Ash stirring slightly beside me to open a sleepy eye towards my brother, and glared at Pollux. "Does it _look_ like it's Christmas yet?"

"Yes."

"How is that, dear brother?" I call him dear brother at the times when I am most angry with the young child; he seriously couldn't just _disappear_, could he? I couldn't wait until I went back to Hogwarts, this was the eighth time he'd woken me up in three days!

"It's _snowing_!"

"We live in England, it always snows in December. Hell, it doesn't stop snowing until March half the time! _Go to bed_!"

Pollux crinkled his Weasley nose and jumped off the edge of my bed, running away similar to how his same-age cousin, Lily, runs when she's acting extra girly. Typical Weasley. His bold tomboyish sister runs off to Hogwarts and he ends up becoming a girly-boy. Hopefully he'll get over that by the time he turns eleven.

Ash looked at me and chuckled as I flopped back down. "You know, tomorrow morning is Christmas morning."

"Merlin's pants, are you _serious?_"

"Yup."

I looked at the clock beside my bed. It was eleven thirty. Which meant that in thirty minutes, it would be Christmas. I was terrible with dates. "Hey, Polly!"

Ash looked at me, shocked. "And you wonder why he acts like a girl!"

"Mum named him Pollux, it's not _my _fault."

* * *

"NYMPHADORA!"

Aunt Hermione's piercing screech scared me out of my fantastic dream-- it was about me and Remus-- and I rolled off the bed and landed on my back on the ground. Fifteen children surrounded me and Ash, who I heard fall off the bed on the other side. I sat up and looked over the top of the bed. She waved drowsily, before flopping back down and groaning.

I stood up and dropped my quilt on the bed. Aunt Hermione stood at the doorway, stroking her gargantuan stomach and laughing like a chiming church bell. I scowled. "No need to look so cheerful." Then I glanced at the clock and woke up from my cranky state immediately. "Merry Christmas, Weasley family. Merry Christmas, Ash."

Ash stumbled to her feet and sat down on the edge of our bed. "Your family is too _big_."

"You just had dinner with us last night," Violetta muttered. "We aren't _that_ big. You don't even know all of them." I shot her a warning glare and she hushed. She didn't like Ash; it was her replacement, obviously. Not that Antoinette hadn't already done that.

"Where's Remus?" Antoinette questioned me, looking at me with suspicion in her searching gold eyes.

"Why would I know that?" I squeaked, throwing my arm around her shoulder. "Where's Christmas at today, Herms?"

Aunt Hermione narrowed her eyes. "_Aunt_ Hermione, Nymphadora. I'm your namesake, it'll do you well to remember my name completely." I stared back, unflinching, until she answered my question. "Your sitting room, dear. Downstairs, come on. Breakfast _first_!"

The youngest children shot out of the bedroom like cannonballs, followed by my aunt, then the three quadruplets. They shot me dirty looks-- it was the first time I'd seen them where they weren't attached at the rear to the Ravenclaw table-- and continued walking towards the dining room downstairs.

I linked arms with Antoinette and Ash and started walking after the crowd. "Seriously, where _is_ Remus?"

"He's coming, Nymphie."

"REMUS!" Antoinette bellowed. I blushed. "YOUR LOVER IS LOOKING FOR YOU!" Ash had told her that I'd kissed Remus on the cheek and she'd been making fun of me since. Oh, the times I wish Antoinette Aurelia Weasley _wasn't_ my best friend/cousin! "REMUS, WHERE ARE YOU?"

The brown-haired boy stuck his head out of Sirius' old bedroom and cocked an eyebrow, "Hello, dears. Merry Christmas!"

Ash wiggled her free elbow. "Join up, Remy. Christmas breakfast, come on!" I loved the idea of Ash being in my family. Calgary might be the one with a burning desire for my brother, but Ash was the one I would rather be a sister to.

Uncle Charlie was downstairs with his longtime girlfriend Colgate Lovegood-- Aunt Ani's older sister-- and Uncle Bill, Aunt Fleur, Grandmum and Grandpa Weasley, Uncle Percy, Aunt Penelope, and all of my other cousins that _they_ created.

When my twelve-year-old second-year cousin Hendrix-- a spawn of Uncle Charlie and Colgate-- smiled shyly at Ash as we sat down at the table, his blonde Lovegood hair falling loosely around his big blue eyes, I knew which cousin I wanted her to choose. And I think she chose him right then.

We sat ourselves down at one of the dining room tables, the Hogwarts kids' table. The quadruplets, Ash, Hendrix, Remus, Victoire, and Teddy all surrounded me and I was glad to be able to eat my Christmas breakfast with them instead of my older family. Ash was seated directly next to Hendrix, and they started shooting cute looks at each other the minute a bowl of oatmeal and a plate of toast landed on the table.

I wonder when we'll actually get into our dating games at Hogwarts… That'll be fun. Me and Remus, Nettie and Austin, Hendrix and Ash, Calgary and someone other than my brother. Maybe when we're twelve. I turn twelve in February, on the twenty-eighth. I was so close to being a leap year baby, that would've been so _cool! _

I leaned over my oatmeal and pinched the skin on Ash's elbow. "Hendrix? Really?" I didn't know what made me think that she and Hendrix would make a good couple in the first place, but I guess they would. Hendrix is quite similar to her except in looks-- his light features versus her dark-- and his quirky little issues are the same as Ash's quirky little issues. Extremely peculiar, extremely annoying, but when put together? Extremely adorable.

* * *

I'd gone through all of my presents. Watched my aggravating family members open _their_ presents. Got hit in the face with the wrapping papers from my family members' presents. Threw the paper back. Wrestled with Remus and Hendrix. Won against Remus and Hendrix, permanently hurting their ego and making me extremely proud.

And there I was sitting there in my bedroom in front of the fireplace, with Hendrix, Remus, Antoinette, and Ash. Hot chocolate mugs were in front of our faces, tightly gripped in our hands like they were all we had to depend on. Plates of warm cinnamon cookies and ginger snaps covered the floor around us, occasionally showing patches of platters and carpeting when one of us snatched one.

Hendrix nibbled on the edge of a sugar cookie, cut in the shape of a bell, and watched Ash carefully. She was laughing at something Antoinette whispered in her ear. Hendrix was twelve; he was already programmed to have full, blown-out crushes. And it was obvious that he had one on Ash. His blue eyes scanned her long black hair, curled loosely for the occasion, that framed her golden brown eyes set deeply into her tanned face.

He'd made a good choice for himself; she was so thoughtful, so careful in everything she did. Hendrix was the same way, something I'd been immensely confused about since I'd been able to think correctly; his father was Charlie Weasley, the king of impulsive actions that always led to chaos. But Hendrix moved with that same contemplative air as Ash, and his actions _never_ lead to bedlam.

Lucky. I wish I'd turned out like him.

Hendrix peeled his eyes away from his infatuation and looked over at the broomstick that was laying on my bed. "You're trying out for the Quidditch team next year, right, Nymph?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "We are, all of us except Remus and Calgary. They're _pathetic_." I grinned at Remus, and he shoved my elbow lightly, leaving his hand over mine when he was finished. Real smooth.

"Not pathetic-- I'm taking up the spot as commentator, I already spoke to McGonagall about it."

"Merlin, why didn't you tell me that?" I squealed, slapping his hand off of mine. "Remus, that's the kind of thing you tell your _best friend_!"

He shrugged. "It was supposed to be a surprise. But cool, huh? Calgary's gonna help me out a little, she said she'll take care of the scores for me while you guys all play." I continued glaring at him in mock fury that he didn't tell me that McGonagall had actually agreed; I'd always known it was a possibility, but I wasn't aware that she'd confirmed it.

"We'll have the open spots," Hendrix said. "Four open spots, that's four seventh years going off to the real world. A beater, a chaser, our keeper, and our seeker." Antoinette grinned proudly, she'd been holding the title of the best female beater in the entire Weasley family since we were five. She had it locked. "I'm one of the chasers, so that's what I'll be helping Fisher pick out next year." He looked over at Ash, "I'm guessing by the look on your face that you're a chaser, too."

She nodded. "I've been practicing with Nymphadora since we got here. It's so much _fun_!" I don't see how she'd never played Quidditch growing up; her father was a wizard, surely he'd have taught her a little bit. Or at least she'd have a few magical family members that could have taught her!

"And Nymphadora is a seeker… Your father can't be that proud. He was always a beater, and very stuck on that position for his future son."

Antoinette snorted. "And she's the closest thing to a son that man has got."

"You know what, Hendrix," I threatened emptily, not even dignifying Antoinette's comment with a response, then thought better of it and stopped. "Okay, you're right. But Uncle Harry is quite pleased."

"Then I guess that Austin boy'll want keeper…" Hendrix shrugged. "An awfully scrawny little boy, isn't he?"

"Hush, Hendrix!" Antoinette snapped immediately, jumping to protect her sweetheart.

"Well, we'll discuss this more next September. Let's switch to a new subject."

"How about you and Ash?" Antoinette put forward.

"And we're back to Quidditch!"


	11. Too Bold Of An Act

Christmas vacation passed and was soon over. January was gone as well, it was back to February. Valentine's Day, that stupid holiday, was over and done with it. And it was the twenty sixth of February. My birthday was in two days, and I just _knew_ that Remus was planning something. After Christmas break, we were hanging out with Hendrix a lot more, so I figured he was in on it too. Ash's birthday was the fifth of March, and I assumed that it was for the both of it. Antoinette was involved, Calgary and Austin as well. They were with Remus and Hendrix constantly, leaving me and Ash alone by ourselves.

I busied myself by wondering what my malicious three cousins were up to. I hadn't heard many crude rumors about Antoinette and I since before Christmas, and I just _knew_ they had to be stirring up trouble soon. I voiced my paranoia to Ash, and she had to agree.

"It's too quiet, today. I saw those girls at your house over Christmas; they've got to be coming up with some new idea on how to make our lives miserable." She folded her legs up underneath her and curled up into the chair in front of the fire, holding her book close to her chest.

"Evil girls." I crossed my legs and flipped the page in my own book.

"Indeed, quite evil…" Ash looked out the window across the room. "I seriously can't wait for this year to be over. Maybe next year…"

"Maybe next year we can break Calgary's rule and start dating?"

"Basically."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Hendrix asked me to go to Hogsmeade, you know."

"You can't go to Hogsmeade until third year. And neither can he!"

"When he's in fourth and I'm in third, Nymphadora." She added a little 'duh!' to make me feel even stupider. Like I needed any help.

I shrugged. "I suppose he's thinking ahead. Like, two years ahead."

"He's a second year, he kind of has to."

"With his 'true love' being a first year…"

"You know, just shut up, Nymphadora."

* * *

"Nymphadora Hermione Weasley, please wake up at this _exact instant_!" Exact instant. Someone was trying to talk like Remus. Precocious little pains in the arse...

I kicked. Hard. "Who's there?" I mumbled somewhat incoherently. "Hey, lemme go to sleep!" I looked sleepily at the clock, my eyes only held open just a crack to see the hands on the face of the plastic figure. "Hey! It's my birthday?"

"That's right, Princess. Come on, we gotta go down to the common room. The boys can't come in." Antoinette yanked on my arm.

I sat up and glanced at the floor for my Converse high-tops. Calgary had probably kicked them away in the middle of the night when she was sleepwalking. I found them underneath the corner of Nettie's bed, slipped them on my feet, and looked up at Antoinette. "Do I have permission to find clothes? I don't feel entirely comfortable going downstairs in my pajamas, especially if I have to see Remus!" Antoinette nodded and I groggily made my way over to my dresser.

Ugh. Jeans, tee shirt, pull-over jumper, headband-- wait, my headbands were gone. I turned around and glared at Antoinette. "Where're my headbands?" I snapped.

"You don't wear a headband today, Princess Nymphadora!" This whole Princess thing was starting to get old. "Birthdays mean tiaras!" She whipped out a gold plastic crown with a big plastic burgundy heart on the front and shoved it at me.

"I hate you."

"Happy to hear it," Antoinette grinned then skipped off downstairs to find the boys.

Ash groaned irritably as Calgary pulled the same routine on her as Antoinette had just gone through with me. "Wake up, Princess Ash! It's your birthday!" As soon as her head lifted from the pillow, Calgary dropped the tiara on her head and pulled Ash from her cozy bed and propelled her towards her armoire.

Ash and I stood side by side in our matching tiaras and Saturday morning clothes, glaring at ourselves in the mirror. Calgary was, thank Merlin, downstairs already with the boys and Antoinette, leaving Ash and I to have some thoughts about our revenge.

"When are their birthdays?" Ash asked bitterly, glaring at the tiara on her head. She tried to yank it off, but of course, Antoinette and Calgary were smarter than that. Sometimes I hate my Mum for teaching Nettie that permanent sticking charm. "Hopefully _soon_."

"I don't know when Callie's is… Nettie's is sometime this summer. Ugh, I hate them!" I shook my head furiously, praying that the plastic piece would fall off my head. I stubbornly stomped my foot and then took off for the door, storming down the staircase to find the guilty party.

They were all sitting on the couch, waiting for the Birthday Princesses. I gave them my most evil glare. "I loathe you all."

Austin, looking innocent and a little confused, chirped up. "Even me, Nymphadora?"

Aw, he always got me. He was so blonde and _guiltless_. "Okay, I don't loathe Austin! But all of you other people, just _dripping_ in loathing hate!" Roar. They sucked. They all really, really, really sucked. "TAKE OFF THE STUPID TIARA!" I screamed loudly.

"Nymphadora, it's not that bad," Antoinette chided.

I glared harder. "Not _bad_? Are you wearing a six-inch tall plastic crown that is really shiny even without light in the room? No, you _aren't_! You're sitting there with your scalp able to breath actual air, lucky little prats. And the worst thing is that you are going to make me go out in public with this damn thing on my head!"

Calgary chuckled. "The funny thing is, you're more dramatic than Victoire. And she's part Veela _and_ part French."

I threw my arms up in defeat. "Are we going to the Great Hall or what? I'm starving, and I'd like to get this embarrassment over _now_."

Remus got up from the couch and took my arm in a very gentlemanly way. He linked it through his own and started leading me out of the common room; Hendrix got up and took Ash's arm, leading her behind us. Austin stood between Antoinette and Calgary like the good little boy he was, not wanting Calgary to be lonely, and we all started down for the Great Hall.

Every time we saw someone we knew, Ash and I ducked. Remus' head was larger than mine, so I was almost completely hidden from their sight, except for the tip of the tiara. Ash, however, was not as lucky; Hendrix noticed what she was doing and turned in the opposite direction every time she moved, so she'd be sure to be seen. Prat.

We got to the Great Hall and I'd given up on ducking, having such a non-participant as my escort. I'd have had a lot more fun with it if he'd tried to keep me from being hidden like Hendrix had. Ash had given up on it a lot sooner than I, for she could only deal with Hendrix for so long; he was a hyper soul in the mornings, and he was extremely persistent. I'd been embarrassed before-- let us all remember the picture in the Daily Prophet with a wine stain on my dress-- and I don't see how a plastic tiara could worsen it. Well, actually, I could. But I can deal with it. I think.

I seated myself down at my usual part of the table and felt a lot of eyes on me. Just great. I love my birthday. But really. A _tiara_? I was back to being not able to deal with it. By the look on Ash's face beside me, she was too.

"How big is it?" I growled.

"How big is _what_?" Hendrix asked.

"The cumulus-nimbus, hovering above my head." I pointed to the empty space above the tiara, half-expecting a cloud to actually appear in the Hogwarts' ceiling just to spite me and my smart-alecky comments. The sudden downpour of rain on my head proved that I indeed was being spited. "Get rid of the cloud, Victoire. I was _joking_," I snapped irritably when I saw my blonde cousin with her wand in hand.

"You are such a party pooper." Victoire lazily waved her wand and the cloud disappeared. It hadn't stopped my friends from bursting into hysterical laughter, of course.

"Um, Victoire?" Ash pointed above her own head, where another cloud still sat. "I know you've got that whole cousin-preference thing, but _please_ _get rid of it_. My hair'll frizz!" I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"You know, I think breakfast has arrived," Teddy said, trying to restore the peace in my group of friends. He pointed at the table, where the largest cake I'd ever seen sat with '_Happy Birthday, Princess Nymphadora and Princess Ash_!'

"Oh!" I shrieked loudly, clapping my hands. I turned to Remus and Hendrix-- the two had become partners in crime already, even though they'd known each other since birth-- and threw my arms around their necks as best as I could sitting down.

Ash soon joined in on the gesture, jumping up from the table, and she kissed Hendrix on the cheek, boldly. Too bold of an act for Ash. I was surprised. "Thank you so much, Hendrix. We love it!"

"You'll love your party more, I promise." He smiled and hugged her back, then patted the empty seat beside him for her to take. I noticed that when she sat down next to him that her hand was tightly entwined in his.

'_A match made in heaven,_' I thought happily. I'm glad that happened. Now, if only we were old enough…


	12. Story Of My Life

My party was in twenty minutes. Twenty minutes. Mine and Ash's party was in twenty minutes. In twenty minutes, I would be in the common room dancing to some music that Antoinette put on. Drinking the butterbeer Teddy got from Hogsmeade. Eating the sweets and candies Victoire brought from Honeydukes. Watching the fireworks that my uncle and dad sent. All of those things, in twenty minutes.

And I was standing in the middle of my room in a tank top and shorts, freezing my tiny little rear end off, trying to find the right outfit. Ash wasn't any better off, scanning my wardrobe, her wardrobe, and the other girls'. We couldn't seem to find anything.

At a knock on the door, I scrambled to grab clothes and look like I had already chosen an outfit. Victoire poked her head in. '_How the hell did she get in here_?'

"You know, Nymphadora, darling. You don't have to act like you've got clothes picked out already, I know what it's like to be a girl." She pulled back her white blonde hair away from her face and peered into my armoire. "You need to wear black."

I froze. I'd never been fond of the color black. No, she had to be kidding. "Victoire, I don't wear black. I wear green, and purple, and blue, and--"

"Black," Victoire said rather forcefully. She pulled a black sateen piece from my closet and shoved it into my hands. I looked down at my feet and walked into the bathroom, praying that it would look ridiculous and she'd allow me to change into something different.

When I had removed my shorts and tank top and pulled the dress over my head, I didn't pray for ridiculousness. The mid-sleeve bodice was tight, but not too tight as to make it obvious that I had yet to inherit a chest. The drop-skirt was clingy around my waist and hips, then belled out with a tulle underskirt down to my knees. I looked so sophisticated and mature, I felt fantastic!

Victoire stuck her head into the bathroom and smirked. "I told you so."

"You know what, just hush." I exited the bathroom and looked at Ash, who my cousin had already stuffed into a burgundy dress that looked gorgeous on her, but would never be able to be even touched by anyone else. "I guess we're ready now, aren't we?"

I one-upped my dress again, wondering why I'd never thought of the color black before. My hair had already turned to its dark auburn-- thanks to a little help from the end of Victoire's wand, but I won't tell Mum that-- and my amber eyes were deep and piercing as well; black was an obvious color choice.

"Not quite," Victoire grinned evilly and withdrew her wand again. She quickly muttered a spell under her breath so I couldn't hear it and use it against her at a later date, air-tapped my hands and my head, and then stuck the wand back in the sash of her ice blue dress. "There we are. Perfect."

I glanced down at my fingertips. Shiny black lacquer covered my fingernails, something I'd never thought to pull off before. "Perfect?" I questioned. She nodded, then summoned up a mirror and handed it to me. I looked into it and gasped. "Victoire, what did you do to me?"

My dear cousin, Victoire, the Queen of Pink. Shiny lip gloss. Glittery eye shadow. White eye liner. Bright red lipstick. Rose-colored blush. What had happened? My eyelids were so thickly lined with black kohl liner, covered in forest green shadow. Matte lips, golden powder dusted on my upper cheekbones. I was twelve years old, that very day. Why did that mean I had to be covered in makeup from head to toe?

Taking a second look into the mirror after the shock wore off a few moments later, I started to smile. The look was becoming; I wouldn't do it often, but it was nice. Classy, chic. I liked it.

* * *

I walked down the staircase to the common room slowly. It was full of Gryffindor students; all of the first years, of which there were only six, second years, third years, and fourth years, and then a scattered few of the fifth, sixth, and seventh years. Tables of presents, food, and butterbeer filled the usually huge-gantic common room; my eyes sparkled eagerly when I saw all the brightly-wrapped packages with mine and Ash's name written on it. I was such a spoiled girl.

"Oh, you look fabulous, Nymphadora!" some punch drunk third year squealed as I passed. "What have you been up to? I haven't talked to you much since the cotillion this summer!" She continued gushing on about the cotillion and my family and my dress until I wanted to shoot myself. Then she looked expectantly at me, like she expected me to retain all of that and really wanted me to answer all of her questions. Moron.

I quickly scanned her face to remember who she was, so I could actually attempt some of her interrogation. But no name came to mind. I really hate my terrible memory, I can never seem to remember who people are. Usually, Antoinette was somewhere near me to tell me who they were, but the raven-haired assistant was nowhere to be found. Damn her.

I guess I'd have to resort to being rude. "Um, _who _are you?"

She put an insulted look on her mug. "Audrina Finch, from your cotillion!"

"Oh, Audrina!" I cried in my fakest tone ever. "I'm so sorry, I just had to take a potion this morning for a head cold. My brain is all scattered, I would never forget you on purpose!"

She smiled, forgiving me, and continued to blabber. Oh my Merlin, that girl had lungs. Really good lungs. I stood there in obvious pain for at least ten minutes before a hand on my elbow became my saving grace.

"Nymphadora, this is where you've been all evening! I hate to take her away, Audrina. But I am her cousin, I do have rights." Teddy shot the younger girl an award-winning smile, and she immediately caved. Typical females. Turn on the Harry Potter charm, you get whatever you want. Teddy wasn't even Harry Potter's real son, and yet he still had the same I'll-smile-at-you-and-then-you-swoon-for-hours thing down to a T.

Audrina grinned, "Of course, Lupin. Take her away. Just save me a dance later, all right?"

"Of course." He smiled again and then took my elbow and led me away.

As soon as we were out of earshot, I raised my mouth towards his ear. "You're brilliant."

"I've heard that before. A lot before."

"I don't want to know for what." I grinned wryly at my wicked comment, wondering on the inside if Teddy was bright enough to read between the lines of my remark.

He gasped loudly and looked at me, shocked. "Merlin, Nymphadora! Who knew that a twelve year old thought like that?"

Oho, he was! Predictable Weasley-Potter family trait, being able to catch a perverted comment from a mile away. All of us had it, except the youngest ones. And Rose. But Rose was a stupid swot, already at seven, so it didn't matter much to me that she lacked that trait. Must have got it from Aunt Hermione. But Aunt Hermione was just as bad as any of us nowadays, spending all of her time with Dad, Mum, and Uncle Fred.

"Well, seeing as you've been in my life these twelve years, I'm surprised you weren't aware."

"It's not normal…"

"I'm a Weasley, dearest Teddy. Normality is not in our blood. Have you _not_ met our uncles?" I proposed, then paused, and rethought. "-- And Ginny?"

Teddy shook his head. "You're a strange girl, Nymphadora."

"Story of my life."

* * *

I spent hours dancing, eating, drinking. The night had ended at ten, and the party attendees disappeared back to their dormitories. I was busily transporting my presents up to my bedroom with Ash doing the same, Calgary and Antoinette attempting to be helpful while really just irritating the two of us to no end.

I walked downstairs for my last load, the girls all up in their dorms, and saw Remus sitting by the fireplace. He hadn't been there when I was gathering my other things, he must have come down while I was helping Ash untangle her hair from the zipper of her dress.

"Hey, Rem. Didn't see you much tonight, where were you?" I ignored my leftover presents and sat down across from him.

He shrugged. "I was hanging out with Austin and Hendrix, mostly. You were wrapped up with that second year, I guess you didn't notice me."

I raised my eyebrows, so far up they almost touched my hairline and hid up underneath my side bangs. "I wasn't 'wrapped up' with Camden, don't say that."

"Well, you talked to him all night. You danced with him. He got you a butterbeer and you never left his side."

"Remus Jordan, are you _jealous_?"

"What?" he exclaimed, shocked. "No, of course not! Merlin, Nymphadora! Jealous? Me? Why would I possibly be--"

"Remus, I'm going to bed while you practice talking to yourself. Goodnight." I waved flirtatiously before grabbing my last box of things and flouncing up the staircase to my dormitory.

But before I got to the door, I swear I heard him say, "You're a strange girl, Nymphadora."

I smiled and muttered under my breath, "Story of my life…"


	13. You Can Count On Antoinette

**Disclaimer: I do not, sadly, own Harry Potter. **

**Now on with the story! (: I'm going to try to update this story on this site and . If I haven't updated here in a while, definitely check the other site. It's my favorite, and I tend to visit it more often, so updates will likely appear there.**

* * *

It was summer yet again. I knew it was so. In mid-April was when I started to receive those Merlin-awful invitations to cotillions, coming-out parties, and debutante balls. Then when April was coming to an end, Antoinette, Ash-- whose parents were going to some island for the summer, leaving her to stay with us,-- Hendrix-- who was only involved because he'd begged his dad after learning Ash was going to be as well,-- Remus, Frank, the three quadruplets, and I were stolen away on Saturdays and Sundays for dress fittings and dancing lessons.

You know me as Nymphadora, Nymphie, or Dora. My mum and dad and entire family know me as that. But we have money, and we are part of society. Therefore, my mum and my cousins' mums find it necessary to force us into cotillions and balls and parties that not one of us want to go to. And when we are in these things, we aren't Dora, Nettie, Hendrix, Ash, Frank, and Remy, and the Malicious Three-- okay, maybe they aren't that way with everyone, just me and my circle of amigos. We're Nymphadora Hermione Weasley, Antoinette Aurelia Weasley, Hendrix Sirius Weasley, Ashley Rachel Howard, Frank Billius Longbottom, and Remus Sirius Jordan, and the Not-So Malicious Three-- aha, I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Surely you're thinking that Nymphadora Hermione Weasley is just the same as Dora. But she isn't. Who is she, might you ask? Well, it's quite simple. Painful, but simple.

Nymphadora Hermione Weasley is the society daughter. She's the girl with the preppy curled hair that sits in perfect place, the belle of the ball dresses, the lace blouses, pencil skirts, and matching cardigans. She never loses her temper and she's always polite to everyone she meets. Elderly people love her and children look up to her; she involves herself with many charitable events and she always takes part in things that help others. She doesn't swear and she doesn't think with her mind in the gutter almost one-hundred percent of the time. She talks in a low, dulcet tone and she never, ever thinks about other people in a rude way. She wants to marry as soon as she finishes Hogwarts, spend the rest of her life on the board of all the societies and committees she has attended balls and cotillions for, and have at least six children, raising them all to grow up exactly like her. So, in other words, Nymphadora Hermione Weasley is a big pile of no-fun dragon dung.

Dora Weasley is a popular girl in the first year of Hogwarts, and she didn't even try. She's the girl with the newly stick-straight hair and side-bangs, the band tees, skinny jeans, high-top trainers, and hooded sweatshirts. She has a terrible temper and she isn't very nice to most people. Elderly people love her and children look up to her, but only because she acts like Nymphadora around them. She doesn't do much for charity or anything like that. She swears often and her mind basically lives in the gutter. She has a high-pitched, loud voice and she thinks mean things-- and sometimes says them out loud-- about people often. She really wants to work at Sapphire when she grows up. She wants to get married as soon as she falls in love, doesn't want anything to do with societies and committees, and have four children that can grow up however they please.

I must say, I'm more fond of Dora. Obviously. Dora's the real me, I think. Not even my Mum expects me to act like Nymphadora, it's really something that I bring about myself. Remember how I said that I screwed up a lot? Yes, well. That is why Nymphadora exists; because I'm aware that I'm clumsy, I'm aware that I do things in front of others that I shouldn't, I'm aware that I say totally inappropriate things at really bad times. And so, I try to make this fake person to keep these things from happening; they still do, no matter how hard I try.

Fairytale Princesses must always know how to comport themselves. I, however, had not yet learned how. Eventually…

* * *

I packed my last spring blouse into my trunk and slammed the lid down on top of my things. Ash's clothes were already packed, as were Antoinette's; I was the last one to finish. We would be leaving in a few moments for our last meal at Hogwarts of our first year, before we left officially for the summer. Saying I was sad to leave was an understatement; a huge one at that. I couldn't leave Hogwarts, it had become my home.

"Aren't you ready to see your Aunt Ani and the twins, Nymphadora?" Ash asked cheerfully. I knew she couldn't wait to return to my home, so close to seeing Hendrix for multiple hours every day, seeing as he'd probably just stay the night with us numerous times.

"Christopher and Ophelia, isn't that their names?" she tried again, hoping to get a reaction from me.

I nodded and then stood. Christopher and Ophelia had been born only slightly late. Meaning, only a few days. But it was lucky that it was Aunt Ani that was so often overdue, instead of one of my more impatient relatives, like Mum or Aunt Ginny. Merlin, would that be terrible. The two twins were by far the cutest little Weasley's that had been born yet, I was sure of it, except Hendrix. No one could deny that with his blonde hair and big blue eyes.

Ophelia had Aunt Ani's bright red hair, instead of that warm auburn color that Alasdair and Verity possessed. But it was streaked with many tendrils of brown and blonde, something I'd never seen in any of my family members. I loved her eyes, big and huge and blue like Uncle Ron's. Christopher looked exactly like Uncle Ron-- a bit of a drawback, but luckily, as a baby, he was very cute. Hopefully he'd grow out of most of my Uncle's looks by the time he aged old enough to start Hogwarts, or else the professors would be greatly confused.

I remember the day they were born; Aunt Ani was calm and complacent, not in any pain at all. She had the twins quickly without much struggle-- something I wasn't used to, with Mum, Aunt Ginny, and Aunt Hermione. Ophelia was a good baby; something Mum told me that I was definitely not. She only cried a bit after she was born. Christopher, on the other hand… well, that blasted infant did not close his trap for a good two hours after he was born. Nothing his mother or the nurses did could hush him. He just kept wailing and wailing. I had to leave the hospital room before my eardrums bled, and Uncle Ron brought Ophelia and came with me.

"Aren't you ready to see them?" Ash reiterated.

I grimaced. "Ophelia, yes. But not Christopher."

"What's wrong with Christopher?" Ash cried, jumping to protect her godson. Even with not even a whole year with my family, Ash had become one of us. Aunt Ani claimed that Ash was by far her favorite student-- earning glares from Antoinette and I-- and said that she wanted Christopher to gain the same love of charms as Ash had. Ash had no choice but to accept; how could you deny an offer as sweet as that? Or, at least, that's what she told Aunt Ani. I assumed her answer had something to do with Christopher's godfather-- Hendrix.

"He's not my goddaughter," I grinned. It was the first time I'd cracked a smile all day.

"Biased much?" Antoinette snorted. She wasn't a godmother to either of the twins, but I don't suppose she minded, as her newest sibling Regina had been born in January, and she was taking over her responsibility as Regina's oldest sister.

"Plus, those cotillions you girls are in should be fun for you," Calgary said jealously.

I snorted. "Seriously? Fun? Calgary, oh Merlin. Those balls are the most painful thing I've ever experienced in my life."

"But… Merlin! The pretty dresses, the dainty food, dancing around with all the boys in their elegant robes--"

"All of the boys in their elegant robes are complete prats," Antoinette muttered. "The dresses are bloody uncomfortable. And the food is too rich, it's disgusting."

"Thanks for that, 'Toinette. Squash all of my perfect dreams," Calgary rolled her eyes. "Really, I can always count on you for that."

"Yup."

"Honestly, you two. Can we go down to the Great Hall now? I'm starving!" I said, hoping to distract the two from their thoughts about cotillion so they wouldn't drag me into discussing it as well.

I already knew all the important things about the first one I had coming up; my dress was a deep forest green, Victoire would be once again helping me with my hair and makeup (and she'd been instructed by me to make it like she had for my birthday party), Remus was my escort, and Ash and I would be keeping a sharp eye on the three quadruplets.

"Yes, absolutely!" Antoinette jumped up.

You can always count on Antoinette to be prepared to eat at any time of the day…


	14. LilyMarie, the Super Villain

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

We walked down to the Great Hall, arm in arm, same as usual. Our normal end of the table was already filled with Hendrix, Austin, Frank, and Remus, waiting patiently for us extremely slow girls to arrive and eat our last breakfast them. I slid into one of the empty spots between Frank and Remus, Calgary filling in beside me. Hendrix and Ash were directly across from me, then Austin and Antoinette.

"Sad, isn't it?" Calgary said mournfully as she stabbed a piece of sausage with her fork. "Our last breakfast at Hogwarts…" She shook her head, as if the memories were too much for her to bear.

"Sweetheart, you do know that we're going to be coming back here next year? And for the next five years after that, too?" Ash said, in a tone only slightly condescending. "No need to get all sentimental."

"Shut up, Ash." Calgary crinkled her perfectly formed nose. She shook back her grown-out, now shoulder-length blonde hair from her face and glared hard at the opposing girl. "It's alright that I'm sentimental, maybe I won't be coming back to Hogwarts. Maybe I'll go to Beauxbatons or something. Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it, dealing with your sorry selves every day…" She shook her head at all of us, but we could all see the twinkle of mirth in her eyes that told us she was kidding.

"Dramatic much?" I teased, reaching forward and stealing the piece of buttered toast off her plate. "Jeez, Cal. You'd think someone already offered you that acting position in America by the way you're throwing those lines around with such exaggerated patience." And with Calgary, you knew it was exaggerated. The patience she used around us came with deep sighs and lots of eye rolls, tapping of her fingernails on tabletops and stomping her feet on the ground.

"Oh, hush, Nymphadora!" Calgary squealed. "It's not fair, you always end up on Ash's side!"

"I'm on your side, Calgary," Antoinette said loudly-- louder than normal, even. I suppose she was just trying to make our roommate not as jealous that Ash and I had such a close friendship that she'd not formed with any of us.

"Why are we taking sides, exactly?" Austin asked softly, juxtaposing nicely with his sweetheart's loud, sharp tone.

"I mean, it's not like it's a fight. Just Calgary and Ash going head to head, like every morning," Hendrix agreed with Austin verbally, but I could see that if it came to the time to take sides, he'd be sure to take sides with the girl whose hand he was not-so-secretively holding under the table.

Ash twisted her face into a look of mock disgust. "Thanks for the support, Hendrix."

"Anytime, love." He smiled widely, and she had no choice but to giggle and wipe the look off her face to smile too.

I gasped inwardly; 'love'? Already? Not only was my dear Ash only twelve years old and Hendrix thirteen, but they weren't together. Not like that. But I suppose you couldn't help what came out of your mouth when you were talking to someone you were so infatuated with, that was most likely the case with the two.

"You two are disgusting," Antoinette said, speaking the words that I'm sure the rest of us at the table-- except myself and the lovey-dovey couple-- were thinking. "Honestly; wouldn't you prefer to wait a few years, until you could actually be together without making the rest of us vomit?"

I snorted and got a dirty look from Ash. Hendrix closed his eyes, to keep his cousins from reading the look in his eyes that would assure us of his thoughts. Granted, his thoughts were mostly centered around the raven-haired, brown-eyed girl sitting next to him, so we could pretty much guess what they were and be correct without having any assurance at all. Hendrix was rather obvious, anyway; the Weasley in him shone through with incredible brightness on that major personality point, one of the few Weasley traits that the boy really had.

He was lucky to be such a Lovegood; I would love to be able to say I had more Lovegood than Weasley traits, but alas, it wouldn't be so. My mother had to go and be born a Black and make her daughter just like her, filled with the bad temper and sharp tongue that came with the surname, even though I had never and would never possess it as my own.

"They'll be worse in a few years, Nettie," Austin said. "Much worse." Antoinette nodded and giggled.

I quietly sighed, hoping no one could hear me as they continued to banter. I didn't want to leave Hogwarts. I didn't want to leave our breakfast chitchat and our days out by the lakes for endless hours running around my house with my multiple siblings and cousins and whoever else came along.

"What's wrong, Nymphadora?"

As soon as the sigh left my mouth, the table was silent and they were all looking at me. Remus had spoken first.

"Nymphie, are you okay?" Antoinette reached out and grabbed my hand. Ash put a hand on my shoulder; Calgary pouted sympathetically.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied quickly; too quick. My cousins were smarter than that, as were Ash and Remus. Calgary, Frank, and Austin, not as close to me as the other two, caught up with the others in realization after a few moments.

"Tell us, Dora," Hendrix demanded.

The minute Hendrix spoke, my stubbornness crumbled. It always did with Hendrix, I don't know why. I took a soft breath. "Everything is always changing, isn't it?"

"Of course it is. If nothing changed, we wouldn't be here," Remus said wisely. "If nothing changed, our parents wouldn't have ever met. Harry Potter wouldn't have defeated Voldemort," he shot three separate pointed looks at Antoinette, Hendrix, and I for being related to Harry. "Hermione Granger would've never married Fred Weasley; Paige Black wouldn't have ever moved over from America to meet George Weasley. We wouldn't exist, and neither would they."

"I didn't need an explanation, Remus," I said sharply. Remus had a tendency to be a large pain in my bottom when he acted so pretentious, and I usually verbally abused him for it. "Especially not one I could have formulated on my own."

It wasn't so much that I was angry with him for explaining change the way he did as I was juts angry that he was so right. Change was necessary, and I despised it.

"I apologize, Nymphadora," he said loftily.

Blasted intelligent, self-obsessed, precocious idiot. He couldn't even just say he was sorry like a normal bloke, but had to use such language as, "I apologize." And he couldn't, Merlin forbid, call me Dora or Nymphie like everyone else, it always had to be Nymphadora.

"Yeah," I stood up from the table and turned on my heel, taking off down the small aisle between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables in order to avoid talking about change anymore. Not a smart idea to do that alone-- I'd never ventured past my three cousins' table without at least one or two people with me. It wasn't a smart thing to do, definitely not.

Lily-Marie stepped out in front of me as soon as I was blocked by a few tall, stocky fourth year Gryffindor boys. She was soon joined by Elisabeth and Allison, all three of them wearing the same identical evil smirks.

"Hello, Lily." I nodded at her, then at Elisabeth and Allison. "Elisabeth, Allison."

"Hello, Nymphadora. I have not talked to you in quite a while, that is quite awful for such close cousins as ourselves…" Her sisters chuckled to themselves.

"About as close as Draco Malfoy and the Hippogriff that attacked him," I scoffed.

"I suppose I should verbalize the reason for blocking your path this morning," Lily said after a few moments of silence.

"Would be appreciated, yes," I said.

"Well, Nymphadora. Your dear three cousins, us, have a proposition for you."

"What would that be, dearest Lily-Marie?" I could only imagine.

"You were sorted into Gryffindor, as was our sister, Antoinette. That has made us the shame of our family, almost as unwanted as darling Sirius, the poor boy. I am sure that you are aware that Antoinette is the favorite in our family." Typical Lily-Marie; ignore my need to hear the proposition so I could deny it and disappear, but continue prattling on.

She was like the villain in all of those Muggle shoes on Aunt Hermione's television; they always had a huge speech about how they were going to destroy the world unless the hero did something for them, instead of just getting to the point already and laying down the deal.

"Our family doesn't have a favorite, Lily-Marie." Which is not really a lie.

"Oh, but they do. And it is Antoinette. My sisters and I would like to beseech your help… to embarrass Antoinette and cause someone else to move into the Weasley family spotlight."

"And who would that someone else be?" I asked, pretending to be extremely interested in their offer.

"You, Nymphadora. Nymphadora Hermione Weasley, the favorite of our family. How spectacular would that be?"

"Not very," I replied rudely. "And you are aware of how much I hate being in the spotlight. Now, Lily-Marie, thank you for wasting my time. I'm sure I'll see you and your sisters surrounding a cauldron sometime in the near future, preparing a poisonous apple to take Antoinette to her death. Goodbye now, dear cousins."

As I walked away back towards my friends, I think I'd have been less surprised if Sirius had jumped in my path proposing that I brought him back to be accepted by our family once again. I left my three cousins with slightly shocked expressions on their faces. I hoped they hadn't seriously thought I'd agree to help them with their plan.


	15. The Best Cotillion Ever

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

While the first cotillion of the summer was not expected to be fun- none of them were, really- I still preferred it to the rest of them, except the last for obvious reasons. My dress was especially beautiful for the May 8th cotillion, the other dresses for the other four cotillions I was expected to attend didn't have a chance against it.

I was with Victoire, who was also, as usual, attending the cotillion, Ash, Violetta, Lily-Marie, Allison, Elisabeth, and Antoinette, in my mother's bedroom. Remus, Hendrix, Teddy, and James were down the hall in Pollux's bedroom. Mum was still checking us up and making sure we were completely suitable.

Aunt Hermione and Aunt Fleur were running around like madwomen at my mother's command. It was rather entertaining, and I would've laughed if I wasn't so tightly laced into my gown.

"You look lovely, Nymphadora," Aunt Ani said from her seat on the bed. She was nursing Ophelia.

Aunt Ginny was seated next to her, holding Christopher. "Yes, you do. All of you girls do." I turned towards a mirror, a bit conceited in my fancy dress, and smiled. Aunt Ginny laughed. "The first five minutes of cotillions are always the most fun. That's when everyone is noticing how gorgeous the girls walking through the door are."

I don't think I could disagree with my Aunts, not today anyway. I was a rather pretty girl, I'd always known that. But in a long, elegant gown and makeup? Oh, I was radiant.

My long auburn hair hung loose and straight down my back, a simple gold tiara with one emerald placed atop my head by Daddy, instead of the fancy, twisted hairstyle and gaudy, unattractive tiara with numerous jewels that most of the girls at the cotillion would have. To match my tiara, a gold chain with one emerald pendant hung around my neck- Aunt Ginny gave it to me a few Christmases ago, for Uncle Harry gave it to her after they'd gotten married, but emeralds didn't match her looks that well- and gold pearl and emerald drop earrings from Aunt Hermione; that contrasted wonderfully from the pearls and diamonds I expected to see dripping from the girls at the cotillion.

I wore, instead of the traditional white gloves to just below the sleeve of the gown, black lace gloves to my elbows. Soft black lace ballet flats replaced the normal white Mary Janes with one-inch heels. Victoire had followed instructions and done my makeup like she had for my birthday; she'd skipped the black nail polish, but my eyes were still thickly lined and shadowed. I loved that; whenever I was old enough for Mum to allow me to wear makeup every day, that's what I'll wear. My gown was the only traditional part of my ensemble; I was working with a full crinoline, silk, with a tulle underskirt. It had tiny little capped sleeves of fine forest green lace. I loved my gown.

Victoire was definitely incredibly striking as she was partially-Veela from her mother. She wore an ice blue gown that was absolutely beautiful, but would never look good on one of us- not on anyone but the lovely French girl, really. She was dressed a lot like me, that's where I'd gotten the idea for all of my new accessories that would have the other girls gasping jealously and the mothers gossiping cruelly. Where all of my things were black, hers were white, but in the same style; Victoire was too blonde and pale to ever wear black.

Ash was her beautiful self. She wore a gown of burgundy tulle and silk, styled the same as mine. Her black hair was curled, settled on her shoulders. Red lipstick, no makeup other than that. Ash didn't need much to make her look like a princess. She'd followed my path; black gloves, black shoes. Daddy had even gotten her a gold tiara, with a smoky quartz stone set into it. Aunt Ginny had given Ash pearl and smoky quartz earrings, since I had a set of pearl and emerald from Aunt Hermione and Antoinette had a set of pearl and red sapphire from my Mum. I think Aunt Ginny adopted Ash as her eldest goddaughter, for smoky quartzes were her favorite stone as well as Ash's.

Lily-Marie wore an emerald green gown; Elisabeth wore baby-blue; Allison wore bright red. I eyed the garnet around Lily's neck, the aquamarine around Elisabeth's, the onyx around Allison's. The three girls weren't nearly as delicate and pretty as what we were; I know I sound rather conceited, but you have to admit, I would definitely be one of the prettiest girls at the cotillion. They were dressed in the gaudy, traditional style like most of the girls at the cotillion would be, except they dressed that way by choice. Lily-Marie's choice, of course.

Antoinette was so gorgeous. I loved my cousin when she dressed like that. The gown was of gold silk, with an incredibly wide hoopskirt. Her dress was styled the same way that Ash's and Victoire's and mine were; the same lace gloves- white- and white lace sleeves. A simple amethyst pendant hung from her neck; a gift from my Mum,

But by far, the prettiest of all of us was Violetta. Her deep violet gown was the most expensive of all of ours. Mom had obviously gone all out on my younger sister's first cotillion. It was styled like ours, and edged with black velvet ribbon everywhere. She wore elbow-length black lace gloves and wispy black satin slippers. A gold tiara with a black pearl set in it sat on her loosely curled hair, and a matching pearl hung around her neck.

I don't know what comes over me at cotillions. I mean, I'm insane. I talk about how beautiful and pretty me and my friends look, I describe things as gaudy and radiant. I feel ancient when I talk like that, honestly, and I'm terribly conceited, which is much different from my usual self.

"Alright girls, go down the stairs. The boys will be waiting on the ground floor- all of them. And Violetta, could you watch over Kelly?" Mum gestured towards the girl who had just entered the room- Kelly Thomas, James' date. "Her gown is rather long, I don't want her to trip like her sister Brooke did last year. Her mother will shoot me." Violetta nodded and lifted her skirt up as she rushed over to Kelly's side.

The three quadruplets took the lead, followed by Kelly and Violetta, then Victoire and Antoinette, then Ash and I in the back. We walked out the door in a perfect two-by-two (except the front three) line, with my aunts following behind us and Mum in the front.

The first three boys to step forward were three Ravenclaw boys in my year at Howarts; Edward Penn, Michael Acres, and Jacob Parker. They reached out for the three quads' hands, then whisked them out the door into the magical limousine Mum had gotten for the occasion. Next came James and Edwin Penn, Violetta's escort. Violetta blushed a deep crimson when Edwin whispered something into her ear.

I laughed and whispered to Ash, "I think my little sister just got her first 'you look lovely' from out-of-the-family members of the opposite sex." Ash giggled and nodded.

Then there was Teddy and Frank Longbottom. Victoire was ecstatic once she was placed under Teddy's adoring gaze; Antoinette, however, was not as pleased to be with Frank and his overexcited mannerisms. Or pleased at all. I could tell how badly she wanted to be on Austin's arm instead of Frank's- however, Austin wasn't going to be attending any cotillions.

And finally, Remus and Hendrix. Hendrix swiftly took Ash's arm, kissed her cheek, and led her out the door. Remus moved a little slower; he took my hand and kissed it, then pulled me to his side and kissed my cheek like Hendrix had done to Ash. I turned even redder than Violetta had, getting redder and redder as we walked outside.

I could tell; this would be the best cotillion I'd ever attended…


	16. Kissing in Corridors

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Doesn't she look happy…" Remus muttered lowly into my ear. He pointed to Antoinette, who was standing two couples in front of us in the line of couples in the corridor by the Grand Staircase, that led into the ballroom where the cotillion was being held. She was holding Frank's arm like a piece of dirty laundry.

I giggled. "I've never seen her glare at someone that much before!"

"I have," he said. I gave him a questioning look. "Calgary, when she was talking to Austin."

"Oh, I remember that!" Ash said from in front of us.

"Huh. I wasn't aware you were paying attention to anything but Hendrix, Ash," I teased. Remus laughed.

Hendrix and Ash turned around at the same time and gave me their most evil glares. I busted out laughing at the two of them; Hendrix, with his innocent blue eyes and blonde hair, and Ash, with her sweet smile, were terrible at evil glaring.

"Don't try it, you two," Remus said. "It's kind of like two Pygmy Puffs trying to look like Hippogriffs, isn't it?"

"You're comparing me to a Pygmy Puff!?" Hendrix cried in his shrillest voice. Ash snorted.

"Um, yeah, and you don't help yourself out much when you use that high-pitched voice."

We all couldn't help but laugh at Remus' sarcastic tone and the offended look on Hendrix' face. The two best friends were constantly making fun of each other, just like Antoinette and I always had done before I met Ash, like Ash and I did then.

"Are you alright, love?" Remus asked, noticing how my face had gone blank.

"Yes, I'm- Remus!" I screeched, attracting everyone's eyes. I calmed down for a moment while they turned away, then looked back at Remus in shock.

"What did I say?" he looked completely innocent, except that twinkle in his eye that knew exactly what he had done.

"Don't you dare call me 'love'!"

"Why not?" Now, a mischievous grin joined the knowing twinkle.

"Because, we're twelve!"

"Well, what are Ash and Hendrix?"

"Ash and Hendrix."

"I don't see how that makes any difference."

"Umm, let's see. Ash, Nymphadora. I can find quite a few differences there… Hmm, Hendrix and Remus… Don't even get me started on those… Oh, well, maybe I should. Age, hair color, height, complete personalities…"

"Nymphadora, will you shut up!? Just let the boy call you love, for Merlin's sake!" Victoire hissed from behind us. "You're going to hear it from him eventually, so why not just give in now?"

Teddy looked down at his sweetheart with an overprotective look on his face. "Victoire, I don't want any bloke to be talking to my cousin like that! Especially not Remus Jordan."

"Oh, hush, Teddy. It's her first young love, leave her be."

"Victoire!" I squealed, turning a deep red all over my face.

"Oh, am I being a bad cousin again?" Victoire giggled. "Sorry, sweetheart. I'll stop."

"Thank you," I muttered, then looked at Remus. "I hate my family."

Antoinette, Hendrix, Teddy, Victoire, James, and Violetta all answered in loud voices from their places in line, "Love you too, Nymph!"

* * *

"This has to be my least favorite part of the entire thing," Remus said, leaning down so that his breath brushed against the top of my ear. He had one arm looped around my waist, the other holding my hand, and we were waltzing with the rest of the couples in the ballroom.

"I didn't know you could chose a least favorite part," I answered.

He laughed as he turned me around, delicately as to not make me trip. "Nice."

"Thank you. I try."

"I think your mum told me to trade you with Hendrix later on. That way, he'll keep you standing as well. We couldn't put you in one of your other cousins' escorts' arms, they'd purposefully make you fall. Not like you need help."

"Remus!"

"Well, Nymphadora, really. You can't say I'm wrong."

"I can, very well. I learned that when I was four. You're wrong."

"You know what I meant."

"Yes, I did. Which is exactly why I said it the way I did." I giggled, and Remus shook his head.

"You're incredibly difficult," he said.

"Yes, Remy, dearest. I know, very well."

We continued waltzing, chatting, laughing, until the song ended. The minute it did, Remus and I rushed- in very ladylike and gentlemanlike ways, of course- back to our table. I excused myself to the loo down the corridor, and Remus, like the good escort he was, excused himself as well in order to walk with me. Of course, while most escorts had no reason to follow their dates to the loo, Remus did so to keep me from tripping over my gown and falling flat on my face.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," I said to Antoinette, who was really the only one at our table who was really had an attention span at the time.

Frank was staring at her dreamily, much to her dismay, Ash and Hendrix were lost in each other, Violetta was chatting amiably with Edwin, James was looking at his feet while Kelly babbled on, Victoire and Teddy were inches apart, soon to be snogging in a few seconds. They all looked relatively happy, except Antoinette, of course.

"Yeah, yeah. Enjoy your two minute break from the escort. I'll never be able to get out of Lover Boy's sight long enough to have one myself…"

Remus and I laughed. Antoinette was quite irritable about being joined by Frank all evening. And everyone knew that your escort didn't leave your side all evening, unless he was retrieving your coat, getting you a drink, or standing outside the loo waiting for your return. But obviously, Frank was not planning on leaving even for that.

"See you in a few, Nettie," I waved, and linked arms with Remus. Off we went, down the hall, towards the ladies loo. The narrow corridor was completely empty, except for a few portraits, most of which were of past cotillion attendees.

Remus stopped in front of a portrait of himself, Antoinette, Frank, and I. He turned me to face him, smiling.

"Um, do you want to say something, Remus?" I asked, confused.

He smiled a little wider. "No, I don't, actually." He leaned forward.

"What are you-" I was interrupted. Not by the portrait scolding us for loitering in the corridor, not by some obnoxious house elf, but by Remus' lips crashing into mine.

It was a sweet kiss. Gentle, delicate. It was the kind of kiss I'd always dreamed of calling my first. He pulled away after a few seconds, and lifted his hand to my cheek. "Nymphadora, you're beautiful."

"Um, thank you," I blushed.

"I really like you, Nymphadora. Hell, I may even love you one day. When we're older… you're going to be my girlfriend. If you want, I mean. I…" He seemed a little nervous.

"I understand, Remus," I whispered. Then I leaned forward, and kissed him again. The second time wasn't as sweet, but it was still a perfect experience nonetheless. We didn't pull away for at least thirty seconds, and when we did, we were both a warm shade of red that neither of us had turned before. "I really like you too, just so you know. And I want to. I really want that to happen, okay?"

"Okay. Good."

"Very good."

And before I actually went into the loo, we kissed for the third time. It might have had the chance to be as perfect as the first, but a high-pitched, furious voice scared us both six inches apart.

"Nymphadora Hermione Weasley, why are you kissing a boy in a corridor!?"


	17. More Perfect

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

It was the first time I was allowed out of the house in nine days- Albus' birthday. I wasn't excited to see my now eight-year-old cousin, nor the rest of my family, but I couldn't wait to see Remus. Antoinette, Hendrix, and Ash (plus all of my siblings and all of Antoinette's siblings) were always in and out of my bedroom, to which I had been exiled to for nine days. I hadn't seen Remus, I hadn't talked to Remus. I missed him.

Mum had not been angry when she'd caught Remus and I in the hall, but the minute she told my father, he was. He'd grounded me until Albus' birthday, which I thought was kind of stupid, but hey, I can't argue. He's my dad, and he was pissed.

But now, I was allowed out of the house to see Remus. Well, not at that exact moment in time, as I was currently standing in a loose white cotton chemise in the walk-in closet Ash and I shared, searching both of our racks of clothing for the perfect outfit. "Ash!" I shrieked finally after fifteen minutes of fruitless wardrobe exploration.

"Yes?" Ash walked in, already dressed and looking really pretty in a colorful chiffon dress and black flats, a summer beauty. I cringed, feeling inferior next to her, once again. My looks had never really bothered me, but seeing myself next to Ash or Antoinette anymore could usually crush me into a self-esteem-less pile of tears.

"I need help," I said softly, looking down at my bare feet. "I don't know what to wear."

Ash nodded and then smiled. "We'll find something. You're lucky, you look pretty in almost anything. I always have to try so hard, it's saddening."

I looked at her, my eyes wide. "Don't even lie, Ash."

"I'm not lying," Ash answered, then ran her hand through a rack of Sapphire dresses. She pulled a simple black silk dress off the rack and passed it to me.

"Will that work? No, too boring. You need something bright and gorgeous today. Remus' eyes are going to pop out of his head when he sees you." Ash examined me where I stood. "Leave your hair like it is," she ordered, a slight bit of jealousy in her voice.

I ran my hand through my straight, long, auburn hair, proud that something about my appearance was envied by the beautiful Ash. "I can do that," I said. "But I don't want something too bright, Ash."

"This is it!" Ash cried.

"What is it?"

Ash pulled out a silky strapless dress with a vibrant abstract print and shoved it at me. "Go change. You'll look lovely."

"Thank you, Ash!" I flung my arms around her neck and hugged her tightly.

* * *

I stepped into Potter Manor's ballroom with Ash and Antoinette next to me, both girls searching for the boys that they'd invited to Albus' party. Austin, Hendrix, and Remus stood together on the opposite side of the room, not yet noticing that we had entered.

"Oh, happy birthday, Albus!" my mum cried, swiftly running across the ballroom with Aunt Hermione, leaving Ash, myself, and the quadruplets behind. Their attention was caught. They knew that where Paige and Hermione Weasley were, we were sure to follow. And they were correct.

Remus looked away from his friends and saw me. He started walking quickly, not stopping for anything. Hendrix and Austin did as well, but Remus was beating them both. He walked right up to me and smiled, "Hi, Nymphadora!"

"Hi, Rem-"

"Remy!" Lily-Marie squealed, rushing by me and hugging Remus tightly. "I missed you!"

I froze. My entire body burned, I waited for Remus' reaction. I was jealous, angry, furious, and most importantly, hurt. I took a step backwards, away from the two, afraid of what I'd do if Remus acted happy to see Lily-Marie.

Remus pushed her off, and those feelings disappeared rapidly, "What're you doing?"

"I was saying hello!" Lily-Marie said, faking mock-insult. "Merlin." She glared and then stomped off, defeated.

Remus raised an eyebrow at her back, then turned back to me. "I'm sorry, Nymph. You know she's purely insane."

"Yeah…" I muttered, then glanced at my feet. "So, um, hi, Remus."

"Hello, Nymphadora," he smiled again, wider this time than the first time he had smiled at me. "You look brilliant."

"Really?" My own face lit up. "Thanks, Remy."

"Anytime, Nymphadora."

_'Is he going to kiss me again?'_ My head was quickly consumed by that question alone._ 'Are we going to start kissing on a regular basis? Like, a hello-goodbye thing? Oh. My. Merlin. What if Dad catches us again!? I'll never be able to see him again. Then I'd go bloody insane. Gah, that would suck. And I just know Mum wouldn't stop him, she'd enjoy it, wouldn't she now… Oh, Merlin. Oh, bloody Merlin! What if he kisses me again? That would be… amazing. And terrible. And bloody brilliant. And disastrous. And… oh, Merlin. Who am I trying to fool? It would be bloody fantastic.'_

I hate being my mother's daughter sometimes. I can't even stop rambling in my own thoughts! It's ridiculous. And add the fact that the cursing inside my head got unbelievably loud at times, sometimes making it nearly impossible to realize I was actually screaming out loud.

"Umm, Nymphadora…?"

"Hmm?" I asked the voice inside my head, that strangely sounded a lot like Remus. I looked at Remus' face and my eyes widened. "Oh, damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it. You heard that."

"Every word- honestly, you have the most entertaining thought processes I've ever heard."

"Thank you, Remus." I had yet to realize that Hendrix, Ash, Antoinette, and Austin were gone from the scene, leaving Remus and I in the back of the ballroom near the door, with no one else around either.

Remus took my hand and led me out of the ballroom. He walked down to behind the staircase, holding my hand the entire way, and then he stopped and turned towards me. "I didn't want your dad to catch us this time," he said.

"Thoughtful. Thank you," I said gratefully. He was so considerate, didn't want us kissing around my father… Oh, shoot. Oh, shoot, oh shoot, oh sugar-foot!

"Of course, Nymphadora. I wouldn't want to miss out on seeing you for eight days- again."

I blushed. "I didn't take eight days of solitary so well."

"Neither did I," Remus said. He took a step forward. We were only a few inches apart. "I almost went crazy, really."

"Really?" Three inches apart.

"Really." One inch apart.

"W-" He took that last little shuffle forward and met my lips with his. Oh, dear, sweet Merlin. It was just as perfect as he was. I went to pull away, but he put his arm around my waist and held me closer, our lips together for nearly a minute, I'm sure.

Okay- more perfect.


	18. Coercion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

For the past ten days, my group of friends had been completely inseparable. Antoinette, Ash, and I had kidnapped my cousin, Austin, and Remus after Albus' birthday party, and all of us had barely spent ten minutes apart from the other. My summer was already turning out to be fantastic, even with the upcoming cotillion on June 1st and the one that had already passed.

On our last night of our impossibly long sleepover party, Antoinette, Ash, and I had attacked the boys with the magic silly string my dad had just invented- it was simply like the Muggle silly string, but the cans were invisible except to the person holding them to allow for a surprise attack, and the silly string stuck to the person it was sprayed on for an hour. They screamed like girls and ran away, but that didn't stop us from getting them covered. It was probably one of the most fun moments so far in my life, and I don't think I'll ever forget about it.

So, it was the 30th of May. I wasn't excited about the upcoming cotillion and I don't think anyone else was either. Mom had me in dress fittings, for the second day in a row. My mum had allowed Auntie Fleur to purchase my dress, as Aunt Ginny was getting Violetta's and Aunt Ani was getting Ash's, but after seeing it the day before, she threw an all-out fit. Mum had expected Auntie to go to Sapphire and purchase the dress, but of course not- she would not 'lower her standards' and go to such a 'low-class' store such as Sapphire.

The dress that Aunt Fleur picked out was a mud brown satin. She expected me to wear it with my usual black lace flats and gloves, which disgusted me completely. My Aunt might be French, but she had absolutely no sense of style whatsoever. I've never seen such an ugly dress. It not only looked loose and baggy on the hanger, but it looked terrible on me too. And not to be conceited or anything, but that's rather rare.

My Aunt Fleur is a grade-A debater at times, but my mother is even better than she is. And when my mother saw the gown, she was prepared to go into a complete catfight. Mum cannot stand bad fashion, especially on any of her daughters, and that dress was just… dear, sweet Merlin. Horrendous. Dreadful. Unbearable. Awful. Appalling. Atrocious. It was just, an ugly dress.

But the argument that the dress created between Fleur Weasley and Paige Weasley? Oh, that was just brilliant.

Mum had started cautiously, testing her boundaries slightly to see how much Fleur could take, as she often did. "I'm not trying to insult you, Fleur, but the dress is not quite… suitable… for Nymphadora's cotillion. She's not much of a brown person…"

"Excusez-moi, Paige. Are zee dresses not up to your standards? I am sorry zat I do not peek out dresses from your store, but I prefer stores with better quality clozing," Fleur had growled at Mum, testing my mother to see how far she'd go. She was obviously confusing my mother with the timid Aunt Ani, because Mum dove right in and started an all-out feud between the two.

My mother simply raised an eyebrow. "The French version of better must mean the exact opposite. I know you didn't just say Sapphire wasn't good quality, Fleur. You've shopped there numerous times, for yourself and your daughters. Don't you dare try to start that. That dress is completely absurd and I cannot believe you're trying to get my daughter into it."

"What are you trying to say, Paige!?" Fleur screeched, losing her French accent for the moment being.

"I'm trying to say that your daughter is not upstaging mine merely because you bought Nymphadora the ugliest gown that's ever been put on a poor girl's body!"

"Excusez-moi!?"

"I've said what I've needed to say, Fleur. Thank you." Mum had grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the backroom at Sapphire.

Ash was close behind, followed by Antoinette, her three sisters, and her mother. Mum fumed all the way to the shelf behind the front counter, grabbed the jar of Floo Powder, and stomped to the fireplace. She'd grabbed a pinch and disappeared, screaming "Home of George Weasley!" and jumping into the green flames.

I'd never heard the end of that. Mum had ranted and raved the entire day, and now, a whole day after the event occurred, she was still grumbling about it and was in a royally terrible mood. I was standing in the middle of the backroom once again, in a beautiful amber silk dress that was the exact color of my eyes.

Mum had paired the gown with matching amber silk slippers and no gloves at all- much to my excitement. I would wear my usual emerald jewels with the ensemble, and I think I'll be the most ravishing girl at the cotillion. At least, I hope so. I had yet to see Ash's dress and Antoinette's, and I'm sure they'll knock my big head down a few hundred sizes. They always do.

Remus sat across the room on a bench next to Hendrix and Ash, who had already had her dress fitting done the day before, because crazy, insane Auntie Fleur wasn't buying her gown for her, the lucky thing. Remus smiled sweetly at me, as I stood rolling my eyes and waiting for Mum to stop adjusting every single part of my gown.

"Smile, beautiful," he mouthed.

I blushed, and I couldn't not smile. I felt the corners of my mouth turn up, and it soon turned into a wide smile, bigger than it normally was. "Remus, stop it," I mouthed back.

Mum looked up and noticed my bright red face. I know I looked obvious and ridiculous to her, just screaming out "Hey look, Remus said something sweet to me and I turned into a tomato!" That made me turn even more red, if that was even possible.

She simply shook her head at me, then turned towards Remus. "Mr. Jordan, I gave you permission to come to the fittings if only you didn't distract my daughter. Please tell me you aren't the reason she's this awful color."

Remus looked up at my mum, frightened. After I'd been grounded for that period of time after Mum caught us in the corridor during the cotillion, he was paranoid around both of my parents, even though Mum could honestly care less. "N-n-no, ma'am." He didn't notice the teasing smile on Mum's face or the twinkles in her currently dark green eyes.

"Oh, Remus!" I cried, turning towards him, much to my mother's dismay. She hates when I move during our fittings. It irritates the perfectionist to no end, I suppose. "You should know when she's kidding, don't get all worried. Merlin knows Mum doesn't know how to be strict."

Mum straightened up from where she had been examining the hem of my skirt and put her hands on her hips. "I thank you very much, my dearest daughter, but I do know how to be strict. If you'd like me to remind you, you're in a dress fitting for a cotillion you do not want to attend. What do you call that?"

"Coercion."

"Oh, honestly, Nymphadora!"


	19. The Call

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Nor do I own the song used in this chapter, Regina Spektor's 'The Call'. Beautiful song for an important chapter. **

* * *

_I'll come back_

_When you call me_

_No need to say goodbye_

**-Regina Spektor, The Call**

I was laying in my bed the night before the cotillion, unable to sleep. Ash was already out like a light, Antoinette was in her own bed, and all the boys had returned to their homes. I was completely alone, something I despised and adored at the same time- I always thought about Sirius when I was alone, and I could never be sure if it was going to be a good thought or a bad thought.

It was times like these I found myself seriously missing Sirius. Times when I was all alone in my room, when Ash was fitting for a dress or talking to Hendrix, when my siblings were scattered around the household, when the house was silent with sleep, when no one was there but me. It was when I wished, "Oh, if only I had my twin brother here." It was when I wanted to cry for leaving Sirius when he needed me most. It was when I knew that Sirius was somewhere, I'm not even sure where, missing me just as much as I missed him.

My alone times were the times when I had once seriously felt close to my brother. When Antoinette and I weren't together and my younger siblings were playing little immature games, I always had Sirius with me.

We had been close in our early years, but we grew apart by age ten. That was when Sirius met Elladora Malfoy. Elladora was the same age as Sirius and I, and she attended the same primary school. Elladora's father Draco and mother Astoria had already introduced their daughter to Dark Magic, just to keep the knowledge running through the family tree that the Black and Malfoy names had once been very powerful in the magical world. Draco discovered Sirius' bloodlines- pureblood indeed, the boy was- and his daughter was pressed to develop a close friendship with him. This was why Sirius acted so girly at times- he spent all of his free time with Elladora, his best friend.

And that was exactly what happened to Sirius. It wasn't so much that Sirius was corrupt from the start, or that he had always planned to be sorted into Slytherin and attempt to tear my family apart. This is what my entire family thought, and even all of my best friends still assumed this was true. I had thought it true, up until I learned different. But it wasn't. I've tried to keep this thought out of my head, but I learned in the last week of school exactly why all of this had happened to Sirius.

Every day since Sirius had been sorted into Slytherin, I would see him at school with a magnificently beautiful first year Slytherin. She had the iciest blonde hair and gorgeous silvery grey eyes. The two were close as close could be, and every other male in Slytherin was jealous. Elladora was flawlessly lovely, and she often greeted me in the hallways when I passed her with a sweet "Hello there, Nymphadora. You look brilliant this afternoon." nearly every time.

It was just a few days before school got out for the summer. I was walking down to the Great Hall earlier than usual, my friends that usually accompanied me were still upstairs asleep. I sat down at the Gryffindor table, the Great Hall deserted except for a few Slytherin girls, one of them being Elladora. She had walked away from her older sisters Daphne and Lisette and handed me a piece of parchment.

I had looked at her strangely, questioning her. "Don't ask any questions. Just read. This will explain everything, I promise you," she had said, her voice an octave higher and ten times more melodious than every other girl I knew. I nodded then, and took the parchment. She walked away gracefully. I opened up the parchment, ignoring my food, and read.

The letter explained, in a loopy script I had assumed was Elladora's, exactly all that had happened. How she wished Sirius hadn't been influenced so much by her father, and how she as well wished she hadn't been. How they had both studied dark magic together for a few months, her father being their teacher. How Sirius wasn't so interested in the dark magic, but in her friendship. And how she had left the Malfoy home in the middle of their first year with Daphne (who was already 17) and Lisette, and stayed with Aunt Andromeda Tonks in her home, bringing Sirius with her as well.

It was the last paragraph that struck tears.

_'Nymphadora, your brother cares for you so. I know it doesn't seem that way, and it hasn't for a few months now. I suppose you could blame me for that, but know that it isn't so. It isn't my fault, nor is it Sirius'. I'm so sorry, Nymphadora, that I let my father do this to your family. I would like to think he did it out of hatred for your family, or out of anger, but it was simply out of jealousy. A petty thing to use as reason for attempting to tear a family apart, but that is my father. Your family is so large, so close, so intertwined. I think he merely wanted to attack that, to see if he could break it. He could not, obviously, and I envy you all for that. If someone attacked our family, my father would abandon us, and I am completely sure of this. _

_  
I do love your brother, Nymphadora. He is my closest friend, and I hope that I'm half as close to his heart as you are. That is all I wish for. Please forgive him, Nymphadora. Please talk to your mother, ask her to forgive him. I want Sirius to be happy, that would make me so incredibly content with my life. And please forgive me as well, as I know it is because of me that all of these events have happened. I would like us to be friends, Nymphadora. It would be a wonderful thing for you to be as close to me as Sirius is._

Sincerely,

_Elladora Astoria Malfoy. _

_  
PS- Sirius is returning to you, on the first of June. I will be with him.'_

I had started crying inconsolably, ashamed with myself for jumping to conclusions of my brother. I had ran from the table and out to the lake, collapsing by one of the large oak trees in the cool grass. Elladora had seen me and rushed after me. She sat down on the ground, put her pale arms around my shoulders, and held me there. I sobbed into her shoulder for ages it seemed, although it was probably only twenty minutes.

Then I lifted my head, and Elladora had smiled sweetly. I returned the smile. We didn't say a word to each other. Elladora hugged me, then stood up and walked away, back to Hogwarts, more than likely to tell Sirius.

It was then that I had been overcome by the sudden understanding that I needed my twin. No matter how many siblings I had, cousins, aunts, uncles, professors, best friends, I would always need my twin. In an unexpected realization, I could relate to my father and my uncle's relationship more than I ever thought I could. They would always need each other, even though they both had a sister, brothers, two loving parents, nieces and nephews, so many children, friends, and a wife. It would never be enough for them if they didn't have the other.

Sirius had Elladora. He had his Slytherin friends, and I'm sure he had Elladora's older sisters Daphne and Lisette, and her little brother Scorpius. He had a lot of people, but he'd still wanted his twin back. I was jealous of Sirius for knowing this so quickly, for leaving me out of the loop, not knowing that when I had felt the most alone, I could have had him there for me.

The cotillion was the next day. I would see Sirius and Elladora, and I would welcome them with open arms into my family. I didn't know how badly I missed my little brother until Elladora had handed me that piece of parchment, and now that I had realized it, I couldn't wait for his return. I was going to tell my mother in the morning, before we left our home. I couldn't sleep, for the fear that she wouldn't believe me. I could only hope.

I crawled out of bed silently, hoping not to wake the slumbering Ash next to me. I walked over to my window and opened it up, then sat on the sill, my feet dangling out in the chilly summer night air. I spoke the words I'd been dying to say for so long.

"_I'll come back, when you call me, no need to say goodbye_."


	20. I Missed My Twin

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Mum, I need to talk to you," I approached Paige Weasley at eleven o'clock the next morning while she was drinking her fifth cup of coffee at the table in the garden. It was definitely the safest time to talk to her, she'd been fully caffeinated and was in a normal Paige Weasley mood. "It's really important, too."

"Really important?" Paige- I always end up referring to Mum as Paige whenever I'm not sure how something between the two of us is going to turn out- raised her eyebrows over her white porcelain cup. "Why, if it's really important, sit down and talk to me, daughter dearest." She smiled widely and nodded at the seat across from her. I took it and bit my lip.

"Mum, it's about Sirius," I said cautiously. Paige tensed up some. "I've discovered some things about him. I could explain it all to you, but I think it would be best if you read this first. It's from Elladora."

"Elladora who?" Paige questioned.

I took a deep breath. "Malfoy." The only name that could make a Weasley's blood boil immediately after hearing it, even a Weasley that had married into the family like my mother had.

Paige's eyes narrowed and she held out her hand. Yep; her blood was boiling, if not already boiled. "Give it to me, then." I handed it over. Paige unfolded it and started reading, finishing the super long letter ten minutes faster than I had. My mum was super intelligent, and a complete speed-reader. She made me jealous sometimes. She looked up at me and raised her eyebrow again. "What is this all about, Nymphadora?" Her tone was disapproving and irritated, as if she thought Elladora's confessions were pure dragon dung.

I had already prepared myself for her to verbalize that thought or something like it, so I stepped in with my lengthy counterattack. It hadn't taken me that long to come up with it, but I had practiced the prior night during my lack of sleep. I knew I'd need the practice to get it all out right.

"Sirius is not as bad as we thought, Mum. Elladora has proved this, and I don't think she's lying. Even if she was, I know Sirius is sorry, Mum. It's my twin instincts. I can feel this. I can feel through every bone in my body that my little brother is so deeply sorry. And I can also feel that I _need_ my twin. I cannot stay away from him any longer, and you can't force me to, it's like trying to keep Dad away from Uncle Fred. It's just not possible to do for very long. It's a twin bond, Mum. Something like what you and Aunt Hermione have, but different, too.

"In order to be completely, purely happy as a twin, you have to have your other half. Whether the two of you get along perfectly or not well at all, you still need your twin. I know this seems crazy to you, and it seemed crazy to me at first. But I miss Sirius, Mum. You can't keep him away from me. I _need _him."

Mum nodded slowly. "So, he's coming to the cotillion with this Elladora girl?"

"Indeed he is."

"And he expects his entire family to forgive him?"

"One member of it already has- his twin sister. And even if no one else cares, he will have me. He'll have me, and he'll have Elladora. And we're really all he'll need, even if no one else wants to take him back in his time of need."

"So you're prepared to give your family up to be with your brother?"

"I won't be giving my family up. My family will be giving me up."

Mum sucked in a deep breath. "We would never give you up, Nymphadora! You're too unbelievably important to us, you don't even know."

"You gave Sirius up, Mum. What's to say you wouldn't do the same to me if I displeased you?"

"Nymphadora Hermione Weasley, you stop it _right now_!"

"No, Mum. I stated my point. Now, you could understand where Sirius _and_ myself are coming from, or you could ignore it. But something tells me that when I show this letter to Dad, he'll get it completely. Aunt Hermione and Uncle George too. I could ask Vi and Cass and Cygnus if they wanted Sirius to come back, and I'm sure they'd say yes. We miss Sirius, and we need him, Mum. We know that he's screwed up, pretty much everything. But our family is still together and we still love him. Are you going to seriously tell us that we can't have our brother back?"

Mum paused. For a long time, she was silent. I couldn't believe she hadn't snapped back yet. My mother wasn't one to think before she spoke, she'd never needed to before. She always planned out arguments in her head; she always knew exactly what her opponent was going to say, how they'd react whenever she retorted, and how the arguments were going to end. She always knew. But now, it seemed like Mum didn't know. Not even seemed- it was apparent that Mum didn't know what to say to me. I was shocked.

After a few minutes- it felt like more to me, and probably Mum too- she spoke.

"No, I'm not going to tell you that. Nymphadora, I understand completely, alright? You miss him. And I miss him too. I've always missed him, really. I reacted in a way that wasn't motherly at all, and I can only hope he will forgive me for not being there for him. He was away at Hogwarts, and he should've been receiving happy little letters from home, telling him how much we love and miss him. I feel so incredibly guilty for this, Nymph- his entire first year of Hogwarts was a terrible experience, I'm sure."

I shook my head in disagreement, also trying to shake the surprise off of my face. Mum was thinking it through. And she had been rational. And she felt guilty! Paige Weasley does not feel guilty, about anything, ever. "Not that terrible, Mum. Really. He has friends in Slytherin, and they're not that bad. He had fun, most of the time."

"Most of the time- I could've fixed that. We could've fixed that. I would've done anything to make Sirius leave our home the way he used to be when he was nine- you know, with a huge smile and the ever-changing appearance. Oh, Merlin, how I missed him acting that way. Do you get it?"

"I do, Mum. I get it completely. I think he missed it too, and I know I did."

Mum smiled and reached out for me. She hugged me tightly. "I'll be glad when he's back in my home."

"What about Elladora, Mum?"

"Elladora is welcome as well- do you suppose he's smitten with the girl?"

"Mum, Elladora is the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts, point-blank. She's also the kindest. There is no doubt in my mind that Sirius is completely head-over-heels for her, and I couldn't be happier with his choice of girls."

"I'm glad you feel that way. I suppose I'll meet her this afternoon, then. Now, go on and get dressed, Nymphadora! You waste way too much time talking, my Merlin. Go on, hurry! We're leaving at one!"

* * *

My main cotillion duties were over for the day. I was seated at the table with Hendrix, Ash, Remus, Antoinette, and Frank. Hendrix and Remus were laughing at the sight of Lily-Marie in the awful gown Aunt Fleur had bought me, and after her fight with Mum, she'd given it to Aunt Hermione and insisted that Lily wore it. I had already had my laugh earlier that afternoon when Lily saw the dress for the first time. Her face had been the most hilarious thing I'd seen in a while, and I laughed for a good twenty minutes nonstop.

And if it wasn't possible, Lily looked worse in the dress then I did. Her hair and the color of the gown didn't go together well, she looked absolutely ridiculous. Poor girl- I don't mean that a bit, though,- her mother didn't have the heart to demand Fleur drop that cloud of silken doom upon another girl's head and preferably not her other daughters', like my mum did.

"That is… wow," Remus muttered when Lily-Marie tried to look elegant sitting next to her escort. "Holy cow, that's horrid."

"It's horrid, but brilliant entertainment," Hendrix said.

"Agreed."

"You two are so mean sometimes. Like catty little girls," Ash teased. "Honestly, Hendrix. It's not that bad." It was an obvious lie. Ash's voice had gotten higher towards the end of her statement just like her voice did when she told Calgary that there was nothing going on between her and Hendrix.

"Oh, it is- Merlin's beard!" Hendrix cried out.

"What?" we all, save Antoinette (who was, once again, moody about her cotillion escort), asked.

"Sirius is here."

I sprung out of my seat, "He is?"

"Don't get upset, Nymphadora," Remus said immediately, jumping up to soothe me. He reached out protectively to take my arm, Hendrix wound his arm around Ash's waist, and Antoinette assumed the position in front of all of us, glaring at him.

Sirius was headed straight for us with Elladora on his arm in a celery green silk dress with elegant beading along the bodice. His black tuxedo was neat and attractive, more than likely picked out by Daphne or Lisette for this occasion especially. Elladora was smiling warmly, but Sirius had a nervous look on his face. The minute Antoinette's eyes turned to ice, he looked ready to stop moving.

I pushed past all of them and ran to my brother, flinging my arms around his neck. Elladora let go of his arm and backed away a step or two, letting me have my moment with him. "Oh, Merlin, Sirius. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, big sister," he said playfully. "I'm sorry too."

"Don't be." I hugged him tighter. "I missed my twin."

"I missed mine too."


	21. Don't You Ever Let Us Kick You Out Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Antoinette stepped up beside me rapidly and roughly seized my arm, her thin fingers closing around my poor skin. The amethyst ring set in a gold band she had received one Christmas from her parents dug into my flesh, and I knew I would have a long-lasting scar from the piece of jewelry. Ash stepped in on the other side of me, putting an arm around my shoulders as she turned me away from my brother. She gave Sirius a fierce glare before tugging me away from him, leaving my twin in the dangerous company of Remus and Hendrix, with no one but Elladora to protect him. I should have known my cousin and friends would have been incredibly confused with this sudden affection I displayed for my brother, but the thought never seemed to cross my mind previously.

"Nettie!" I fussed, but she and Ash continued to haul me out of the ballroom, probably heading for the ladies' lounge where my mother and aunts were spending a few spare minutes. I did not remember Antoinette or Ash ever being so strong; they were always the weaker set when compared to me, but somehow, they moved me along despite my struggles. It must have been my gown. Dressing up in such gowns for cotillions tended to make my usual strength and agility nonexistent. "Merlin, Nettie. _Let me go_!"

My cousin shook her head seriously. "I can't let you go, Nymph. You've apparently gone insane, and the insane shouldn't be allowed to mingle with others in public. It's dangerous."

"You might snap and hurt somebody," Ash added.

I had a hard time determining if my cousin and friend were serious. But the stern looks on their faces made it very clear. They were honestly convinced that I had gone insane; if I had given them any inkling of what was going on with Sirius and my family, I would be frustrated with their actions, but because I had overlooked that, it was justified. I was certain they were still heading in the direction of where my mother would be, and she would be able to release their tight grip on me before Antoinette's ring dug a hole through my entire arm.

Ash threw open the heavy mahogany door into the ladies' lounge, which was truthfully just a small parlor in which the mothers of all of the girls that attended the cotillion hid away after they had shown off their offspring, giving their daughters and their escorts the opportunity to have a little fun. Paige, Hermione, Ani, and Ginny Weasley were all arranged on the white-and-peach silk sofas that sat along the walls, all pointed towards the large mirror on the wall opposite the door. Some of the younger children- Regina, my youngest sister Cedrella, and Ani's newborn twins, could also be found in the room; Ginny had transformed a few stray items into bassinets, and the babies were quietly napping while their mothers aimlessly chatted.

With the entrance of two of their daughters and a close friend, all of the Weasley women looked up, along with the other women who posed on the sofas in exhaustion. It was like a sight from the 1800s, with the women in their classy gowns and elbow-length gloves, thankful to have a moment to relax from the stressful burdens society and their children always placed on their shoulders. Aunt Ginny, who was fidgeting in her navy blue chiffon dress that clung to her unhealthily thin frame, was the first to question her niece's unyielding grasp on my arm.

"Antoinette, is something wrong?" Ginny asked, raising a dark red eyebrow. She always seemed to be on the brink of laughter during these cotillions, for she was the mother who found them the stupidest and most pointless. Her pretty eyes were sparkling, and it was apparent that, unlike Hermione and my own mother, she found humor in one of her nieces treating the other like a prisoner of war.

Antoinette ignored her first aunt and looked straight at Paige, her godmother and someone who she hoped would not find humor in this situation. I grimaced at my mother, who seemed to know what was going to leave Nettie's mouth before anything actually did. Aunt Hermione, who was also aware of our reconciliation with Sirius, due to the bond between she and my mother that allowed them to read each other's thoughts, buried her head of tamed curls farther in her tattered copy of _The Scarlet Letter _with no desire to be a part of the impending discussion.

Paige, whose Metamorphmagus abilities turned her usually light brown waves into sausage curls in a flattering shade of butterscotch, ran a thin hand through those curls. "What is it, Nettie?"

"Sirius is here!" Antoinette announced, looking around the lounge and letting her worried eyes land on each of her aunts and her mother for a few seconds as she waited for the statement to soak in. When not one of the expressions on their faces changed, she widened her eyes and restated it, putting even more emphasis on her cousin's name than before. "_Sirius_ is here!"

Instead of the shock she was expecting, each of the Weasley women looked back at her tranquilly. I guess Mum not only informed Aunt Hermione, but the rest of my aunts as well. Poor Antoinette; she was hoping to stun at least one of our family members, but she was out of luck. I turned to look at her, and her pretty face was confused, with one thin black eyebrow arched over her golden eyes. I turned in the other direction, and Ash's face was almost identical.

"You already know?" my cousin questioned. Her voice raised in pitch near the end of her question. She hated being the one who was left out of information, and it was apparent to her that her mother, aunts, and cousin had kept her completely out of the loop. "And you haven't asked him to leave or _anything_?"

Paige smoothed the front of her fitted ivory silk bodice, then looked at her French manicured nails. Aunt Hermione twirled a thin curl around her finger and kept her amber colored eyes fixed on the small faded font of her novel. Aunt Ani's dreamy blue eyes remained glued to the gold and peach striped wallpaper on the walls. Aunt Ginny smirked from her couch, the only one of the women who was finding comedy in this situation.

"Aunt Paige?"

"Well, Antoinette…" my mother started to say, her voice less sure than it usually was, almost as if her niece was something to be feared. While the students at Hogwarts _did_ fear Antoinette, I did not think it was possible for fully grown women to fear her too, especially not women like my confident mother. "It appears as if Sirius and our family have resolved our differences."

With that sentence, Antoinette dropped my arm, slouched down, and formed a perfect O of shock with her already round mouth. It was quite impossible to shock Antoinette, but if anyone was capable of doing so, it would be Paige Aurelia Weasley. She would be the only one confident enough to bring up _anything_ that could cause such a drastic change in Antoinette's emotions, even though the girl was so young. I watched Antoinette carefully, not even paying attention to when Ash finally released my arm as well, waiting to see how she would finally react to the knowledge. She had not once shown even a bit of remorse at the severe way we had excommunicated my brother, and I was almost completely convinced she would explode in frustration, not even a bit understanding of our decision to bring him back into our family.

As always, Antoinette lived to prove me incorrect. Her red painted lips relaxed, then spread into a wide, exuberant grin. She straightened up immediately, rolling back her shoulders, which was a clear sign of her emotions. "Thank _Merlin_," she cried out, twirling around on her heels and running back out of the ladies' lounge.

From inside the room, we heard her meet up with Sirius, who had broken free from Remus' angry glare, in the hallway. "Bloody hell, Sirius!" she called out loudly, making her mother grimace. "Don't you ever let us kick you out again!"


	22. Nice to Have You On Our Side, Weasley

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

With the return of my long gone brother, my family seemed to fall back into the way it had been so many years before, when there were less of us and we were held together by even tighter bonds. After being without him for so long, it almost felt like we _had_ to draw each other in closer, just to avoid another event like the one that had occurred. Many of our nights were spend in one of the sitting rooms, listening to Mum play the piano- something she had just picked up recently- and talking about our days. Sirius, Ash, and I usually curled up side by side on the cushion covered window seat, or we played with Cedrella and Pollux and the rest of my siblings on the thick Persian style rug on the floor. Mum fussed at Sirius again for leaving his dirty clothes on the floor for the house elf to pick up, and Sirius, just as he always had even when we were barely close at all, comforted me when _The Daily Prophet_ printed a photo of me being dragged from the ballroom with Antoinette and Ash on either side of me. Every single one of us was immediately thrilled to see Sirius walking through our house again, although our other family members and friends had taken more time to share our excitement.

Remus, especially, took his time adjusting at the idea of Sirius' homecoming. For the first few weeks in which he visited, which was quite often, his handsome, boyish face hardened and his entire body stiffened when Sirius came into his view. Now, Sirius had been home for almost a month, and Remus was as happy to see him back as I was. Most of my cousins and my aunts and uncles reacted similar to Remus, but he was the one who took the longest. Of course, Remus has always been the one who had trouble adjusting to major changes, finding the necessity to take it all in piece by piece so he was not overwhelmed by an entire transformation of an enormous part of his life all at once. After a month, he had adapted to Sirius' presence; he was currently working on becoming accustomed to the new person Sirius had become after the period of time he had spent living with Andromeda Tonks and the three Malfoy girls, Lisette, Daphne, and Elladora.

It seemed like Sirius had made a complete metamorphosis during the time in which he was ostracized from the Weasley family. He could hardly go an hour without changing his hair color and his eyes, and it reminded me of Teddy when he was first sweet on Victoire- all he ever did was change his looks. I took it as a sign of extreme happiness. Sirius was much less secretive than he used to be, and he opened up completely whenever I asked him any questions. He had become a new person, albeit still slightly feminine, and our entire family embraced this new persona with open arms, especially me. Within a few days, we shared the same bond that had been lost before we were even out of primary school. I had never truly known what it felt like to _really_ have a twin, but now I was very well aware.

* * *

"So _what_ is the deal with you and Remus, my dear sister?" Sirius asked, putting the weight of his head in his hands after he flopped down on my bed next to Ash and I. With his return, he spent more and more time in my room, especially whenever my friends visited, and I realized quickly that I actually adored having him around. He was playful and witty, much like most of our family, and he could make us all laugh within seconds; I had once thought the way he liked gossip and talked in a high voice made him stupid and silly, but his ever so slightly feminine traits seemed to make him even more of an incredible person to be around, now.

Ash rolled her golden brown eyes and flicked her silky black hair away from her face. "She won't tell you anything. I've _tried_."

And Ash was entirely correct. She and Antoinette had been begging me for information about whatever was budding between Remus and me, but I had successfully kept my mouth shut tight. It was apparent to them that there _was_ something there now, as we giggled like little children whenever we talked and every time we went off somewhere by ourselves, we would return with bright red cheeks and ridiculous grins. As easy as it could have been to spill out the many stories about our secretive kisses shared in empty corridors when everyone else was asleep and our secret plan to really be together the minute we were old enough to, I preferred to leave them as secrets. It was a lovely idea to know that besides my parents, Remus, and I, no one knew that we had ever shared one kiss. It was something so lovely that I wanted to keep each one of our kisses to myself, until it was inevitable that our friends knew about it.

Antoinette came out of the bathroom, after having listened quietly to Ash and Sirius. She nodded her head, her glossy black waves bouncing around her freshly washed face. "I don't know why, but she won't tell us anything. But there's _obviously_ something going on."

I stared at my duvet cover, trying to hide my suspicious grin and my red cheeks underneath my auburn curls. One look at me, and they would have all the confirmation they were looking for. The other three continued talking, thankfully oblivious to the sure sign sitting right in front of them. I knew they were all deeply curious, and sometimes, I felt the urge to tell them everything. Their eyes begged me for information when I finally raised my head from the duvet cover, and I longed to wipe the looks of their faces and replace them with those of giddy surprise. Despite this longing, though, I felt it was even more satisfying to keep it to myself. It was more special that way.

"I don't know about you, but _I_ would rather talk about this big birthday party our mothers are planning for the fifth," I interjected into their conversation, raising my eyebrows and grinning wickedly. I knew the party for the quadruplets was an annual event, and Antoinette's hatred of the grand fete seemed to grow exponentially each year. "I heard the term 'matching dresses' thrown around for a little while."

Antoinette, already having forgotten all about Remus and I, glowered at me, her golden eyes sparkling with a deathly gleam. It was her trademark glare of intimidation, but it could not have stopped me from my cheerful digression for one second. Sirius, who had been around just as long as I had for the annual quadruplet's birthday party, also was quite aware of how loathsome the party was to our cousin, and he had clapped his hand over his mouth so the girl would not notice his laughter.

"What party?" Ash questioned, even though from the laughter visible in her golden brown eyes, she already knew about it.

My cousin sat straight up, narrowing her eyes at me. "Do not tell her," she growled.

I was not at all intimidated by Antoinette at that point, despite how menacing she may have seemed. All other times of the year, Antoinette could shoot me enough threatening looks to eventually silence me, but it was almost her birthday, and she deserved as many torturous discussions about her party as I deigned to begin after the plastic crown fiasco. No matter how many of my father's and Uncle Fred's pranks she decided to set off on me, I would make sure that she was not allowed, for one second, to get away from discussing her party. It was my tiny bit of revenge, and it was enough for me.

"Well, the quadruplets turn twelve on August fifth," I announced to Ash, jumping off my bed so I could get away from Antoinette, in case she decided to turn to physical means to shut my mouth. "And their mother and aunts go _crazy _in the planning for it. Each year, it gets bigger and more extravagant. They've been working on this one forever, and it's gonna be _great_." I giggled, my eyes locked on Antoinette's irate facial expressions, which seemed to grow in frustration every few seconds.

"I hear we're throwing it in Aunt Ginny's garden where our parents and all of our aunts and uncles got married, Siri," I turned to Sirius, whose eyes were closed as he shook his head of currently floppy blond hair at me. "Aunt Hermione has enlisted a fleet of party planners and some fancy caterers- it's going to be the best party yet."

Ash cast a curious look at Antoinette. "If it's so brilliant, why are you acting like it's a horrid event?"

"Because," Antoinette said in a threateningly low voice, her golden eyes narrowed to barely visible slits. She ran a hand through her long black tangles. "It _is_ a horrid event. Spending an entire day with my three sisters, when I try my hardest to avoid them at all costs? Having to pretend that I actually _like_ them, because there are always photographers in our business just looking for a sign of tension? And of course, there are the Merlin-awful dresses that all four of us have to agree on, and I'm always coerced to agree on one that is completely _dreadful_. There is nothing _brilliant _about these blasted birthday parties."

Before she could continue any farther in her rant, a voice from outside my bedroom door called out to her. "Miss Antoinette, your mother and Madam Paige are downstairs waiting for you to continue your dress fittings with your sisters," my family's only house elf, Frieda, said softly, peering into the bedroom with her huge eyes.

Frieda was not enslaved to my family, much to the pleasure of Aunt Hermione and me, instead receiving monthly wages in return for her loyal services to the Weasleys. She was a kind, elderly house elf, and my mother trusted her completely with caring for my newborn siblings, a responsibility she refused to put on even Teddy Lupin's shoulders. Of course, despite my entire family's protests, Frieda insisted upon referring to us all as Misses, Madams, and Misters, even though we looked at her as another member of our very large family.

At the sound of Frieda's voice, Antoinette got up from my bed, stomping out of my room. We heard her clearly as she trudged down the hallway, muttering under her breath about the stupidity behind the party plans.

Sirius elbowed me in the ribs, raising his eyebrows suggestively. I could not remember the last time I saw that mischievous glint in my brother's eye; it could quite possibly have been the first time I ever did. Sirius was never one for scheming, leaving that Weasley twin legacy to me instead. But I was ecstatic to see that, after all of these years, my father's roguish ways had finally emerged in Sirius. "Well, then, sister. We've got a few owls to send and a few things to adjust before the big party, yeah?"

I grinned at him, and then at Ash. "I'll owl Remy immediately. Nice to have you on our side, Mr. Weasley."


	23. It's What Twins Do

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Remus nudged my bare arm with his, leaning towards me with his head of soft brown hair to whisper into my ear, "She's going to be thrilled." He was, as he had been for every party that summer and every summer prior, directly by my side, his brown eyes contrasting stunningly with the soft ivory cotton shirt he wore, the sleeves rolled up neatly to his elbows and the buttons perfectly matched. Most boys Remus' age failed to dress themselves properly, especially for an event such as that day's, but Remus was not like most boys. He was a proper gentleman, and he seemed to possess the most suitable amount of dignity and sophistication to offset my wild and sometimes uncontrollable tendencies.

I smiled at him, then glanced around the airy space in which the quadruplet's party was to be thrown. The garden was always beautiful, but Aunt Hermione and Aunt Ani had shot spells throughout the alfresco party space, turning all of Aunt Ginny's many tulips and roses in the quadruplets' four favorite colors: amethyst for Antoinette, dark red for Lily-Marie, soft pink for Elisabeth, and ice blue for Allison. The colors would not ordinarily be placed together, but for the party, they melded together everywhere they were applied- the tablecloths, the colorful serving platters, the four-tiered cake in the center of the seating area, and the clothing on the servers that waited patiently on one side of the garden. It was a gorgeous space for a party, and if Antoinette did not hate the annual tradition so much, I think she would agree with me completely.

It would be at least a half hour before the rest of the party guests arrived, and a full hour before Antoinette would see what we had achieved. Within a few minutes, Austin Finn, the secretive object of my dear cousin's affections, would be arriving to escort Antoinette around her birthday party, in the dress that my mother and I had secretly designed to replace the one she thought she would be wearing. Sending for Austin _and _sneaking in a new dress had been the idea of my twin brother, although he refused to allow us to give him all of the credit; he insisted that without Remus, Ash, and I, he would have accomplished nothing. Our accomplishments were few in number, but they were more than enough to lift Antoinette's spirits, and Remus and I, along with the rest of our scheming team, were quite proud of ourselves.

"And you said this was Sirius' idea?" The surprise in his voice was evident, and I could relate completely. I did not think Sirius would have paid any attention to Antoinette during our first year at Hogwarts, but it appeared that I was, as I had been so often lately, incorrect; he was entirely aware, without any of us informing him, of where Antoinette's affections lay. "_Really_?"

"He came up with all of it. I told you that, Remy."

Remus nodded, shrugging his shoulders. He jammed his left hand into the pocket of his loose, straight legged jeans, then held his right arm out to me. I took it, leaning against him and letting my auburn curls, which had been lengthened even more recently and were hanging down to the small of my back, fall against his shoulder. It was becoming easier and more normal every single day for me to stand so close to Remus, as if there was already more between us than just a close friendship and shared fondness, and even my father was adjusting to seeing us with arms linked and faces close. There really was not anything there yet, but both of us knew there would be. We fearlessly planned our future together, not even considering the fact that one day, our affections may lie elsewhere- it was something many adults failed to ever do. In preparation for that day when we could truthfully claim each other, we stood close together and spent almost every waking minute together, our attachment to each other only growing in strength.

Instead of continuing our conversation on that particular topic, Remus looked straight at me, his eyes scanning me from my soft auburn curls to my bare blue-painted toes. I shivered a little in my pale green sundress, adjusting the loose skirt with my free hand, a little nervous under his attentive gaze. "You know, you look lovely."

I blushed, my cheeks turning the same shade as my hair within seconds. "Why, thank you, Remy."

* * *

"And may I now present my beautiful daughters," Fred Weasley announced into his wand, gesturing towards the glass patio doors that were slowly opening up into the garden. "Our youngest, Elisabeth Genevieve Weasley; Allison Lenore Weasley; Lily-Marie Annabelle Weasley; and the eldest quadruplet, Antoinette Aurelia Weasley."

The first three girls walked out slowly, giving the crowd time to absorb their average-looking off white sundresses and how their pretty looks contrasted with their escorts. The three smiled rigidly, their posture stick straight and their faces emotionless; I silently wondered how they would ever have any fun if they always had to _fake_ a smile at everything they were presented with.

Antoinette was a few steps behind them, smiling widely and genuinely. I could only imagine what placed that particular smile on her face: was it the beyond gorgeous amethyst colored dress she wore with the gold embroidery along the hemline, or was it the blond sweetheart she had on her arm? I finally guessed it was a mixture of the two, for she continued to smile as she glanced down at the knee-length skirt of the dress and over at her escort. When Antoinette spotted Remus and I, along with the rest of our schemers, she almost sprinted over, dragging poor Austin along beside her, stretching his shorter legs to keep up with her lithe, willowy frame.

My cousin practically scooped me up from my chair as she embraced me, squeezing me tightly around the neck. "Thank you _so _much, Nymphie," she squealed cheerfully, one of the few times I had ever heard her use such a high pitched, overjoyed tone. It did not take much to please Antoinette, I noted.

I shrugged at her, then pointed at my twin brother. He was staring at the table, obviously caught up in his own thoughts, which were probably centered around Elladora- even at a young age, my brother's heart had already been caught by the blonde Malfoy daughter, and he appeared to be seriously crazy about her. Whenever he was around the rest of us and we were in our usual pairs, although none of the pairs could be considered relationships or anything close to such, he always seemed to become distracted in his own thoughts. He missed my gesture towards him, only shaking himself from his mind when I said his name.

"It was really Sirius," I informed Antoinette, who jumped away from me and went through the same routine with my brother. I had not seen her so pleased in quite a while.

Antoinette plopped down in the empty chair next to Remus, crossing her legs in an unladylike fashion and tossing her loose black waves behind her shoulders. Austin sat down beside her, immediately sparking a conversation with Ash and Hendrix; his voice was so quiet that I could barely hear what he said. I had few seconds to pay attention to Austin, however, as Antoinette was quick to fill the silence. "I _really_ don't know how to repay you guys for this one," she chirped, glancing over at Austin and smiling again.

I smiled mischievously. "Don't worry, Nettie. Sirius will be getting his repayment in a few minutes." I snatched my escort's arm and glanced down at the silver watch on his wrist, my smile widening. "A few seconds, actually, if everything goes as planned."

Sirius, who had lost himself in his own world for the second time in five minutes, looked up sharply from the ice blue tablecloth in front of him that he had been examining carefully. His hair was currently a flattering shade of ice blond, filled with streaks of color in the quadruplets' corresponding favorite colors, in honor of their birthday, and his eyes were bright blue. His constantly changing looks were so much more entertaining than the period of time in which he worshipped the color black. Sirius, like most of my family, looked so much better in a variety of colors. "What are you talking about, Nymph?"

Before I could answer, a slender palm rested on Sirius' shoulder. He turned to look at the surprise intruder, shocked to find that the pale hand belonged to an even paler and thinner arm, which in turn was attached to the wispy and beautiful Elladora Malfoy. Her pale pink lips were curved in a perfectly proportioned grin, and her white blonde hair fell almost to her waist now; at the sight of Sirius, her silver eyes were glittering. She was by far the prettiest twelve year old girl I had ever seen in my life, and by the amazed look on Sirius' face, he agreed with me.

"Ella, what are you-"

Elladora placed her hand over his mouth, then reached out with the other hand to take his and pull him out of his seat. "I was invited, silly boy," her voice was melodic and sweet, just as powerful over him as her looks were. She reached out to hug him gently, then pulled away and watched as he wobbled on his feet. My poor brother was victim to the same unsteadiness as I when around the one we so shamelessly adored, and Elladora seemed to be slightly entertained by that fact. "Your sister didn't want you to be the only one without someone to talk to tonight."

As Elladora gracefully lead him away so she could greet our mother for one of the first times since the cotillion, Sirius turned to look at me. "Thank you," he mouthed at me.

"It's what twins do."


	24. Beautiful, Beautiful Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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Somehow, my summer flew by faster than I would have ever expected it to. Despite the landmarks forever emblazoned in my memory of the summer before my second year at Hogwarts, the past four months passed at a brilliantly dreadful speed, and I was sad to finally see our calendar flip itself to the first day of September, the day I would leave for Hogwarts with the eleven other Weasleys (and Potters, in James' case) who would start yet another year at the wonderfully famous wizarding school. During my last few days as a first year student there, I thought I would miss Hogwarts over the summer. With Sirius' return to our family, the multiple birthday parties and get-togethers held by all of my aunts, and the appalling cotillions that continued on for the rest of the season, I did not have a chance.

Ash returned to her family a few days after Antoinette's birthday party. My room was once again empty, void of my friend's motherly, tidy ways and the bed that had been set up next to mine for her. In the days leading up to our return to Hogwarts, I spent as little time in the spacious room as possible, as I found it too strange to not have at least one of my three roommates with me there. When I found myself alone in my room, I was reminded that Remus had gone off with his family to America for the last few weeks of summer, and I would not reunite with my dear friend until we boarded the train at King's Cross.

Antoinette took it upon herself to save me from potential melancholy, and for the month of August, Antoinette and I begged our fathers to allow us to tag along with them to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley, where we busied ourselves stocking shelves and ringing up customers. Our disappearances during the day allowed Sirius to spend time with the insufferable three quadruplets with whom he still maintained a close bond, and it filled the spaces in my mind which would otherwise have been occupied by constant thoughts of Remus. Without my father and uncle's assistance, the last bit of Antoinette's and my summer would have gone by in a cloud of monotony and loneliness.

In comparison to the cheerful finishing of _my_ summer, Violetta spent the rest of _her_ summer counting down to September first in an anxious panic, and she had her trunk packed two weeks before it was necessary. It would be _her_ first year at Hogwarts, and I do not think even Elisabeth, the quadruplet known for her anxieties and compulsive packing disorder, had been so nervous the summer before. Regardless of the efforts to calm Violetta put forth by my parents and those family members who had already experienced their first year at Hogwarts, she ludicrously worried and more excited than any other eleven year old I had ever met. Vi was constantly wearing her robes around the house, and she clung to her wand like it was an extension of her body. I assumed that she would promptly break down later today when she arrived at King's Cross Station, and she would have to be carried home, despite her careful packing and intolerable excitement. In short, I was preparing myself to _Avada Kedavra _my sister- she was simply that obnoxiously annoying.

So, today- the first of September- would be a day of anxiety attacks, fights with my insane siblings, provoked homicide, and reunions. Oh, and my horribly loathsome cousin, James, who would be starting his first year along with Violetta today. It was destined to prove to be a brilliant Weasley kind of day.

* * *

"G'morning, Nymphadora!" Violetta screeched, leaping onto my bed and landing on my legs with her bony knees. I let out a loud groan, refusing to open my eyes and let in the light that was surely flooding into my bedroom. My little sister was petite and delicate, but she was bonier than a plain skeleton would be, and she had no soft places on her entire body; at that exact moment, her bony knees and bottom were painfully digging into my legs. If I had ever successfully convinced myself that casting one of the Unforgivable Curses was indeed unforgivable, she had removed that thought completely from my brain. "Come on, get up! We've got to leave soon!"

"Definition of soon?" I mumbled into my duvet cover, my voice barely distinguishable behind the slurring of my words. I had barely fell into bed before three that morning, and I was sure that no matter what time at which I was being woken up, it would not have gained me nearly enough sleep to satisfy me.

Violetta paused, rolling off of my legs before continuing. "Well, it's… um… sooner than later."

That would be yet another reason I wanted to kill my sister. I should have known the minute she launched her bony knees into my duvet cover that she was, out of her excitement and anxiousness, waking me up long before it was actually necessary. However, the girl now sitting cross-legged on my bed _was_ Violetta, and never once in her life did her innocent green eyes and sweet freckles on her pale complexion fail to ward off my frustrations and anger. So, instead of growling a few choice words at her, I sat up in bed, pushing my straight auburn hair back from my face.

"Good morning, Vi," I said after a few silent seconds. "Are you nervous?"

My sister blushed a deep scarlet shade, reaching from her fair cheeks to the tips of the slightly pointed ears that poked out from her soft black waves. That was her own silent way of responding that yes, she indeed was terribly nervous. Not that I had not already guessed that from the trunk that had been sitting in the small foyer downstairs for over a week and a half, or the set of neat black robes she already sported.

I reached out, placing a thin hand on Violetta's black fabric covered knee. "I was nervous last year, too," I whispered, winking assuredly. "I worried about the houses I would get sorted into, the friends I would make, the professors I would have. It all worked out at the end, you see. I promise you, there's nothing more fun than going to Hogwarts." With the simple final sentence of my short speech, I was suddenly reminded of Remus, Calgary, Ash, and the rest of the friends I would soon see when I boarded the Hogwarts Express; the thought brought a smile to my face, further consoling my sister and calming her nerves.

Violetta reached out and grabbed my hand. "Are you _sure_?"

I nodded my head, my auburn hair falling back over my shoulders and into my face. "Absolutely."

* * *

"Are you excited to be returning, Nymphadora?" my godmother, the great Hermione Weasley, asked in a soft voice, her hand resting on her husband's arm. She had asked each one of her daughters that question a few minutes prior, and was moving steadily on down the line to each one of the Weasley children in her control for the afternoon.

I stood a few feet away from her, walking beside the cart I was sharing with Antoinette and Sirius, the three quadruplets trailing behind us with their shared cart in Allison's possession. Antoinette and I were scanning the station restlessly for the Jordans and the Finns, and Sirius was staring dutifully at the cart he offered to push the entire way for us, pretending like he was not examining every small, lithe girl that passed him to see if they were Elladora. The three of us were very typical twelve year olds at that point, each one overcome with an annoying sense of lovesickness that could not seem to be cured; such a lovesick feeling would only be alleviated when we would be old enough to actually pursue what we desired, and that left the three of us with at least another year of searching shyly everywhere we went.

Aunt Hermione brushed a stray curl away from her amber eyes that I had somehow obtained from her, glancing behind her to see if her niece and nephew were catching up; they were not. Before I could answer her, she stopped in her tracks, dropped her husband's arm, and turned around to face them. She placed her hands on her hips, glaring at them. "Violetta Adele Weasley and James Sirius Potter, if you do not catch up with me right this instant-"

Aunt Hermione found no need to continue her sentence, for Violetta and even mischievous James were at her side in less than five seconds, looking down at their feet with red cheeks. They had heard her threats at least five times that afternoon, each time growing in intensity. She and Uncle Fred had been placed in charge of the Weasley-Potter brood that would be returning to Hogwarts that afternoon, and it was likely that if anything, even the tiniest of things, happened to my Aunt Ginny's precious oldest boy or my mother's beautiful Violetta, Aunt Hermione would be slaughtered publicly. When she was satisfied with their close distance to her side, she turned back around and looked at me again.

"Well?"

Once again, before I could answer my aunt, I was interrupted. This time, however, instead of my aunt loudly scolding my cousin and my sister, the disruption was in a form I preferred much more to a conversation with a family member, even if it was my favorite aunt; it was petite and plump, blonde, and talking madly, and I knew at once that the short arms that flung themselves around my neck belonged to no one other than Calgary. I could barely understand the words that flew out of her mouth, but even after four months apart from my close friend, I remembered clearly that it was normal for her to be far from coherent.

"Calgary!" Antoinette squealed cheerfully, throwing her arms around the two of us and bouncing. We jumped up and down in that way that only girls could do, until my twin brother stepped up to me and tapped my shoulder, his eyebrows- which were currently dark blue to match his hair- raised over his dark navy eyes.

When the three of us separated and Calgary's eyes landed on my brother, she immediately switched from normal Cal to flirty Cal. Unlike Ash and Antoinette, when they first spotted Sirius in my company again, it would be just like Calgary to ignore the tension that had previously been between us and go straight in for the kill. If she was not secretly much older than she appeared, I would be shocked. She batted her pale blonde eyelashes and smiled sweetly at Sirius, linking arms with Antoinette and I in the process.

As we pulled Calgary away from Sirius and towards the platform, leaving Sirius behind to push the cart and Aunt Hermione to scold Violetta and James more. With my two close friends on either side of me, one of them acting like a flirty fool and the other pretending like she was not searching feverishly for Austin, a few minutes away from reuniting with my _best_ friend and Ash, everything was back in its usual place. My friends would return, the object of my affections would be in my sight every day, and I would be back in the place I loved the most. Everything was falling back into the routine I had grown so far apart from in my four month reprieve from beautiful, beautiful Hogwarts.


	25. Shortly is Relative

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

I leaned back against the plush seat of the compartment I shared with Sirius, Antoinette, and Calgary. We had boarded the train only moments before, but as I waited patiently- sort of- for Remus, it felt like time froze in its place. It felt like eight hours had passed since I had passed through the portal, waved goodbye to Aunt Hermione and Uncle Fred, wished Violetta luck and sent her off with James, and helped Sirius drag our luggage onto the train. If time continued at such a pace, there was no chance of Remus ever arriving in our compartment before the new millennium reached us. In order to prove that time was indeed moving and that soon, Remus would find us in our compartment, I reached for my brother's wrist, turning it towards me despite his cries of pain.

"What's your damage?" Antoinette rolled her gold eyes, flicking her silky black hair away from her face. She was attempting to act calm and collected, as if she was not jumping up in her seat every time she thought she saw the smallest shadow outside of our compartment.

As always, Antoinette refused to do what she referred to as "stooping down" to mine and Calgary's "low" levels, which we had apparently reached by actually letting other people see how excited we were around boys. No matter how many times she had embarrassed herself in the past, when it came to boys, it seemed to be all different. She insisted that our way of handling our little crushes on that day was only going to end in loneliness and craziness, and that her way was the right way to do it. I thought she was bloody insane.

Sirius chuckled at me, pulling his wrist away. "Remus will be here shortly, Nymph."

"Shortly is relative," I mumbled in reply, turning to look out the window next to me at the throng of parents scuttling up to the train with their miniscule first year children and older students dragging their trunks and owl cages behind their long black robes as they boarded the train.

I longed for one of them to be the Jordans, escorting their handsome son up to the train with his trunk and the cage that held the kitten he wrote me about, but no face I scanned belonged to his pretty mother, Angelina, or Lee, the father he looked so much like. After what felt like another full hour, I tore my amber eyes away from the window, pulling my denim-covered knees up to my chest. _Oh, what I would give to be like Antoinette_, I sighed inwardly, resting my head against the cool glass window.

"He'll be here!" Sirius insisted. I suppose my sigh was not as inward as I had believed. "Will you calm down? He's going to think you're off your rocker if he finds you sitting here like-"

In the middle of Sirius' statement, as was the normal occurrence when either of the twins spoke, an interruption came in the form of the sliding compartment door as someone entered. That someone was thin and of average height, and his floppy, freshly cut brown hair fell neatly to the tips of his eyelashes. Ten thousand different thoughts raced through my mind the second he stepped into the compartment, but the very loudest and most prominent was one simple word: _REMUS!_ Before Remus had the chance to greet any of us, I was on my feet, launching myself against his chest and throwing my arms around his neck. He fell back a few steps, stumbling to support both of our weight on his long legs. He had grown five or so centimeters or so in our time apart, I noted, and he now hovered at least twelve centimeters over my head; the minor change, however, failed to change how well we fit together in our embrace. I buried my face into his neck, taking a deep breath; he smelled like he always had, in an intoxicating mixture of soap, fresh parchment, and vanilla. I had missed that distinct Remus-only scent, along with every other thing about him that had been occupying my mind since the day he left for America with his parents.

As slow as time had felt just a moment before as I eagerly waited to see Remus after such a long period without seeing or hearing from him, it was fleeting and not nearly slow enough as soon as he came into my sight. I kept my arms tightly around his neck, and he had just as tight of a hold around my thin waist. To resist letting too much of that quickly passing time go I refused to pull away. Somehow, Remus knew exactly what I was thinking, for he did not release me, either.

"Hello to you too, Nymphie," he said calmly.

I did not know how he could always stay so calm in situations like such, when my own heart was practically beating out of my chest and my breath was short and ragged. The compartment had disappeared from my sight, and the only thing my eyes could see was Remus, who I had yet to let go of. He, however, looked around and nodded hello to all of our friends, even though his arms remained latched around me with no intention of loosening. My head was so close to his heart, but the beating was steady, and his breath on my forehead was also. For the second time that day, I was exceptionally jealous of how easily my friends handled things. Brilliant.

One of those seated behind Remus and I coughed as politely as they could; I assumed the attempt was made by Sirius, as it was followed by a more obnoxious, louder cough that most obviously belonged to Antoinette. The exterior sounds brought the scenery around me back into my vision, and I released Remus' neck and stepped back from him, watching his face carefully as his hands dropped back down to his side and he smiled slyly at no one but me. I mentally took a picture of that sweet smile, tucking it away in the back of my mind along with our secret, stolen kisses and the promise that we would one day be so much more than just best friends. I turned to face Sirius and Antoinette, who watched Remus and me with raised eyebrows, apparently dubious of my insistence upon there being _nothing _between the two of us.

Calgary would normally be the owner of a third cough, more girlish and even more fake than the other two had been, but if you looked in the direction in which she so dedicatedly stared, her eyes remained locked on my twin brother. Most twelve year old girls would squeal in disgust if a friend of theirs was so visibly infatuated with their brother, but I found the adoration in Calgary's expression sweet, albeit slightly similar to that of a loyal golden retriever. Just like the rest of her roommates, she was hopelessly lovesick, in that twelve-year-old way, over my brother, who experienced the same sort of feelings… for Elladora. It was lucky that flighty Callie had chosen Sirius, for she would likely bounce off to a new boy by the time we arrived at Hogwarts.

As I slowly gained control of my senses again and became aware of the room around me, I noticed that two new figures had entered the compartment and sat across from the seat I had previously occupied. A slender, raven-haired girl and an even thinner blond male sat next to Sirius and Antoinette, their luggage already in the racks above our seats. The image of my cousin, Hendrix, and my dear friend Ash already seated and prepared to leave for Hogwarts gave me a small sense of exactly how long I had been wrapped up in nothing but Remus' arrival, and I bit my lip in embarrassment as I made my way to my seat again. If I planned to keep all of this to myself, I would really have to work on how I reacted when I saw Remus.

"Hey, Hendrix!" I chirped, knowing I sounded overly happy. Remus plopped down on the compartment seat between Calgary and I. Out of the corner of my eye as I focused in on the two newcomers in the compartment, I saw him smile amusedly. Why did I have to be so horrible at faking normalcy? It seemed to run in my direct family, for my own father seemed to be equally horrid at doing such. "Hey, Ash! How was the rest of your summer?" My voice squeaked, and as my friends exchanged chuckles and knowing glances, I turned a deep scarlet shade. _Bloody hell_.


	26. Levicorpus

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

After almost an hour of loud, constant chatter in our compartment, the din had died down, being replaced by an almost annoying silence. Chocolate frogs that no one had bothered to catch were bouncing around on top of our trunks on the racks over our heads, making one of the few noises in the otherwise soundless box. The Hogwarts Express was whirring along speedily, the outdoor scenery blurring together in a blotch of greens and browns, and I was the only one who did not seem to be hypnotized by the sight or distracted with some other activity. The silence had been overwhelming me for the past half hour, and I glanced around the compartment to find a new way to entertain me for the rest of the ride.

Despite surely feeling my amber eyes burning into her face, Antoinette refused to take her golden eyes off of the faded pages of _The Catcher in the Rye_, reminding me almost exactly of her mother and my aunt, Hermione, who always seemed to bury her face into a novel whenever she had a chance. She was very absorbed in the novel, which was something I knew her mother had passed on to her; thanks to my mother's scattered thinking process that she had so lovingly passed down to me, I could not focus on a book for more than ten minutes. I had always been more intelligent and better in school than Antoinette, but when faced with a reading assignment, she was the one who read the selected pages and then summarized them for me. Next to her, Austin, who had was fast asleep, slumped down in the seat with his head pointed angularly towards the ceiling. He had entered the compartment shortly before we left the station, chatted lazily for twenty minutes, then promptly fell asleep. I had been watching him for a little while, and it did not even look like he was breathing; examining him for any sign of life had amused me for ten minutes at least.

On the other side of my cousin, Ash had pulled her legs halfway to her chest and rested her feet on the edge of the plush compartment seat, her sloppily arranged black curls spilling out of the pile on her head she had fastened with two extra quills. She was intently staring down at the wizard version of a crossword puzzle book she had propped up on her legs, tickling her chin with the end of her new silver quill. Crossword puzzles had become her new addiction over the summer, and in almost every sentence that left her mouth, she used a hinting phrase instead of the actual world. Her face implied that she was earnestly dedicated to her puzzle. Every so often, she would move her left hand swiftly across the page, leaving in its wake a row of her neat print. With her right hand, she gently drummed a steady rhythm on Hendrix's left hand.

My other cousin did not seem to be bothered by the constant tapping on his hand, for his eyes were steadily fixated on Ash's profile, as he leaned against the wall of our compartment. As he always did when given an opportunity, Hendrix was sketching something out on a piece of parchment with a chunk of parchment, and from the attachment to Ash's face, I assume it was yet another portrait of her. Hendrix was an artist; we discovered this at a young age, when Hendrix and I, along with numerous other Weasley children, finger painted together. Most of us would have a blob of color or a square house as an end result, while Hendrix would pull a pencil from his pocket and create an accurate sketch of one of his many cousins. He spent all of his time drawing, and I had never met someone so skilled.

Sirius was on the right side of me now, having given Austin his seat to prevent the implosion of Antoinette, his pale face pressed up against the glass window. I think he had expected Elladora to come find him, and when she did not, he was a little let down. He had been staring out the window since we had left King's Cross Station, and I knew that the silver-eyed beauty was the only thing on his mind. Calgary, after noticing that Sirius would not be paying any attention to her on that train ride to Hogwarts, said her goodbyes and disappeared down the train, likely to find a Hufflepuff boy to place her affections on for the day.

"Oh, look, Beth," a piercingly high voice with a slightly ruthless tone to it entered our compartment through the slightly open door, where the five of us were waiting to arrive at our beloved school. Her voice was quiet enough that it was missed by most of the inhabitants of our compartment, but I was used to Lily-Marie's faux-dulcet tones, and I could not miss her voice even in a room of screaming people. I was preparing to look at Remus to see what was keeping his attention, but the sound of her voice made me snap my head up in her direction; everyone else was lucky enough to miss it. "It's Nymphadora and Antoinette!"

A pale hand gripped the side of the door and slid it open, revealing, just as I had expected, the ever so evil Lily-Marie, with Elisabeth and Allison tucked behind her. I had never quite discovered why Lily-Marie was as wicked as she was, although I assumed that most of the reasoning lied in her jealousy of her sister, Antoinette. I knew very well that in our family, favoritism had never existed. Our parents, with as many children, nieces, and nephews that they possessed, could never be capable of choosing a favorite as so many other parents have done in the world. It would swiftly destroy the Weasley-Potter families, faster than Voldemort could have ever hoped to.

However, outside of family, favoritism could never be helped. Everyone knew that the quadruplets were undeniably pretty. They were daughters of Hermione and Fred Weasley; good looks dominated their gene pool. Of course, almost everyone at Hogwarts and anyone else that had ever met all four girls would easily tell you: Antoinette was by far the loveliest of the four sisters. Her personality, similar to her stunning looks, was addicting and memorable, and she was easily the favorite quadruplet at Hogwarts. Any student would and often did admit that, and the knowledge of such filled Lily-Marie with more rage than any girl her size should claim. Because of the extreme rage she always contained, Lily-Marie was incredibly bitter, and this led her to scheming and plotting as much as she could to finally achieve the ruination of her sister. In the four years she had tried to do so, it had not even neared success.

Lily-Marie flipped back her bright Weasley red hair, which, not including her surname, was the only thing about her that stood out. She stepped into our compartment, not yet dressed in her robes but instead a pair of pressed, straight leg jeans and a buttoned up jumper in a dull shade of pale pink. Her sisters, close to her heels, also took a few steps forward into the compartment, their jumpers just as dull and colorless as Lily-Marie, which signaled that she had chosen their outfits for them again.

Elisabeth smiled weakly at me, her eyes hidden behind the thick lenses of her plastic framed glasses. She was by far the nicest of all four quadruplets, which made me wonder occasionally why she would ever follow behind Lily-Marie and her constant scheming to ruin her sister's reputation. It did not seem like something a sweet, timid girl like Elisabeth would be capable of doing. Allison stood next to her, staring directly ahead of her and out the window like she often did; as I said before, Allison has always been a little feared, her idiosyncratic personality being too much for a majority of people to tolerate. She never seemed to be completely there, almost like her mind was only half-dedicated to the real world she existed in, and the other half of her mind belonged somewhere else. However, when Allison had a partially firm grasp on reality, she was calm and mellow, and she appeared to be completely uninterested in Lily-Marie's plots.

"Do you need something, Lily?" I asked sharply, probably ruder than I should have been, seeing as she had yet to give me any reason to be annoyed. At the sound of my voice, Antoinette dropped her book on her lap and looked up at her sister. She narrowed her eyes coldly before picking her book back up again, leaving me to handle it. Lovely.

Lily-Marie sat down in the empty space next to Remus where Calgary had been sitting. I mentally cursed Calgary for leaving as Elisabeth and Allison took a final few steps into the compartment, sliding the door closed behind them. "I do, actually," Lily-Marie stopped, looking at me with her red eyebrows raised over her eyes. Her tone was dripping with malice. She had barely uttered two sentences, and I already knew our encounter would not end well. When I did not say anything in response, she continued. "I was just coming to inform you that I have just heard-" her voice dropped to a very audible stage whisper, "- that our dear Sirius fancies a _Malfoy_!"

At the sound of his name, Sirius looked away from the window, and his previously blue eyes turned to a fiery red. I made an O shape with the tips of my pointer finger and my thumb, shaking my head ever so slightly to keep him quiet. "Are you saying there's something wrong with that?" I replied softly, in a voice that would sound sweet and innocent to the untrained ear.

"Why, Nymphadora!" Lily-Marie put her hand over her chest in mock surprise. I resisted the urge to slap her, for every single time my full name left her lips, it almost sounded like she was mocking me. "_Of course_ there's something wrong with that. What would our dear Uncle Harry say?"

Sirius tensed up next to me, and out of the corner of my eyes, I watched his hair turn a red shade to match his eyes. As his cheeks reddened, I knew he was only a minute away from letting his famous Paige Weasley temper explode; he was the most even-tempered person I had ever met in my life, but I knew for a fact that when it came to his dear Elladora, his tolerance level was unbelievably short. As his twin, I signaled to silence him again, then reached into the side pocket of my robes. I clutched the end of my cedar wand, prepared to whip it out in a moment.

"I mean, she's the daughter of a _Death Eater_!" Lily-Marie's voice was growing in ruthlessness, and a smile seemed to be playing on the edge of her lips as she carefully watched Sirius' face turn redder and redder. "Her kind of people tried to kill our family! She simply _cannot _be trusted! Does Sirius believe that because he's a pureblood, he can betray us and go to-"

"_Levicorpus_!" I was on my feet in less than a second, my wand pointed at Lily-Marie. In an instant, I was overcome with an immense feeling of fury, and my temper- thank you, Mum- forced me to act on it like I never had before. The loud spell I shouted as I brandished my wand in Lily-Marie's direction caught the attention of everyone in the compartment, and within a few moments, Antoinette and Remus flanked my sides, their wands in hand as well. I had never once yielded my wand in such a way, nor had I ever used that spell before. I learned it from Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, who taught Antoinette and me numerous spells and hexes to use on those who deserved it in times of necessity. Never once had I found someone who deserved to be dangled in midair by their ankle, but Lily-Marie had crossed a line when she brought up Elladora, and she knew that very well.

Lily-Marie let out a shrill scream of fright. "PUT ME DOWN RIGHT THIS INSTANT, NYMPHADORA!"

"_Langlock_," Antoinette murmured, with a gentle wave of her own mahogany wand. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at her sister, then hissed at her, "Bitch."

In response, Lily-Marie attempted to speak; with the assistance of the spell Antoinette had learned from Uncle Harry, her tongue was glued to the top of her mouth, rendering her unable to speak. The only noise she could create was a sort of humming sound, and it was much more favorable than her voice. _What a shame_. I smirked at Lily-Marie, who wore a face of extreme horror. Elisabeth and Allison, standing by the compartment door, stared up at her, mimicking that horror. Within a minute, the attacking parties had reversed, and I was thankful we were on the Hogwarts Express so that I could use my wand instead of my wit. While my sharp tongue had never lost a battle with my cousin before, it was much more satisfying to see her squirming helplessly as she dangled in the air.

My satisfaction did not last nearly long enough, as usual. Having heard Lily-Marie's shrieks, Professor Potter, the very man who taught the spell, slid open the compartment door and entered in a rush of black robes and the smell of pumpkin juice. When he saw his niece, Lily-Marie, suspended by her ankle, along with my wand still aimed in her direction, the worried look on his face turned to one of aggravation. His eyes went from me, then to Antoinette, and finally to Remus, shaking his head at us.

"Are you okay, Ms. Weasley?" he asked Lily-Marie, pulling out his wand. He barely moved it through the air and did not utter a word, returning Lily-Marie to her feet.

She tugged on the bottom of her cardigan, her eyes filling up with fake, overdramatic tears. "Mmm-mmm-mmmph!" she responded, a tear spilling down her freckle-covered cheek.

With this, Professor Potter looked at Antoinette, shaking his head again. As he preformed the counterspell to the one the older niece had cast, he frowned at us. "I'm going to have to tell the headmistress."


	27. Hardly Means for Reward

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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"Why is it that if there's ever _any_ trouble, I can always count on you three to be near it?" Headmistress McGonagall shook her head disapprovingly at the three of us, the graying bun on the top of her head bobbing along with the motion.

In the background behind the austere woman, the gigantic office remained full of bits and bobs that had once belonged to Albus Dumbledore, when he was alive and the headmaster of Hogwarts. According to Aunt Hermione, who still kept up close correspondence with the headmistress that had fostered her great intelligence all throughout her education, McGonagall, a close friend to Dumbledore throughout her career as a Transfiguration professor, never had the heart to clear completely the office of Dumbledore's things, except for the items given away to others in his will. Old books filled the shelves, alongside photographs and little trinkets that were scooped up on many of Dumbledore's travels around the wizarding world. The very neat and tidy McGonagall should have seemed slightly out of place in the cluttered room, but it did not seem the least bit odd to me.

To the left of me, Remus stood properly with his hands behind his back, staring down at the tips of the polished black shoes that poked out from underneath the hems of his fitted black trousers and acting like any good boy would when preparing for punishment. On my right, Antoinette gazed innocently at the window behind the headmistress' head, refusing to look McGonagall in the eye. They were waiting patiently for the retribution the three of us would soon receive, probably guessing that their silence would only assist them in reducing the punishment.

I stood in front of McGonagall's gilded and carved mahogany desk, in between Antoinette and Remus. I faced the headmistress boldly, and I knew the gleam in my amber eyes could be described as faintly defiant. Since I was a little girl, I had known Headmistress McGonagall, and her fearsome qualities had long ago been replaced by familiarity and informality. It was hard for me to stand in front of her with a doleful look in my eyes, even though I knew she was highly capable of punishing me, for I viewed her the same way I viewed most of the members of my family. "With all due respect, Headmistress, we've never gotten into much trouble here."

"Yet," Uncle Harry murmured quietly from where he stood behind us. I watched McGonagall as she gave him a pointed look, and his very audible footsteps and the gentle swoosh of his robes on the dark marble floor signaled his exit to the otherwise silent room.

After the door closed behind my uncle, I raised my chin a little higher in the air and continued. "Perhaps you are confusing us with our fathers, Headmistress," I suggested politely, hiding the small smile tugging at the corners of my lips at the thought. My father, George Weasley, along with Fred Weasley and Lee Jordan, were known for the trouble they caused throughout their years at Hogwarts. Their playful antics were not half as troublesome as those of Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron, and Uncle Harry, but they were well known by all professors for their capers.

McGonagall fixed her piercing eyes on the three of us, the hazel irises devoid of any sign of amusement. The smile disappeared from my face, but I refused to act like Remus and Antoinette and show remorse when I so obviously did not. As I waited for her to speak again, I reached for Antoinette's elbow, pinching the loose skin on the back of her arm with my index finger and my thumb. In response, she grasped my two fingers in hers, digging her fingernails into the side of my hand; instead of crying out in pain, I smiled. In Antoinette's world, that gesture announced that she was indeed _pretending_ to be contrite and sorry for her actions.

"Is something funny?" McGonagall asked severely, her eyebrows drawing in close in the middle of her tall forehead. "Miss We-" she stopped when she noticed the two Miss Weasleys standing in front of her, "- Miss _Nymphadora_, you will find that casting such difficult spells on unprepared students while you are merely beginning your second year here is not only completely inappropriate, but also extremely dangerous."

I nodded, for I knew I could not argue with her. The headmistress was not aware that Uncle Harry- Harry Potter, one of the most powerful wizards of all time- had taught me the spell, and I doubted that he would want her to discover that fact, either. Therefore, I pretended to be very understanding and apologetic: not because I had hung my cousin from the air by her ankle, but because I had cast a spell of such a higher level than of which I should have been capable. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny- well, maybe just Harry- would never teach me a spell if it was possible for me to create potentially dangerous side effects, but McGonagall, once again, did not know that.

"I do _not_ condone such spells being cast on your fellow classmates, Misses Weasley and Mr. Jordan, although I doubt you ever raised your wand. Of course, punishment must be set for you three. Twenty points from Gryffindor… each."

Remus let out a quick breath, relieved to hear of such a simple form of discipline. He feared detentions and letters home to his parents, although he would surely never receive any like Antoinette and I would one day. Of course, even if those punishments were to be received, he would never admit that he had no part in the attack on Lily-Marie; if Antoinette and I were to be in trouble, he would be as well, whether he did something to earn it or not.

"However," McGonagall continued, her tone switching from somberness to thoughtfulness. "According to your flawless usage of such difficult magic without causing any injuries- other than psychological- your magical skills are very well-developed. Therefore, instead of second-year Charms, all three of you will from now on be attending Charms classes with Professor Weasley during the time of day she instructs third year Gryffindor and Slytherin students. These changes will appear on the class schedule you will receive in the morning."

My eyes widened. I had used an advanced spell on my cousin, causing her to dangle from the air and squirm about like a lunatic, and Antoinette had glued her tongue to the roof of her mouth. Those actions were hardly means for _reward_, but from the lack of humor on the headmistress' face, that was exactly what we were being handed. It did not make much sense to any of us, I guessed from the befuddled looks on my two friends' faces, but neither of them planned to argue about it. We were going to take third year Charms; I exchanged an elated look with Antoinette, a grin soon spreading across both of our lips. Who knew shooting a random spell at your cousin could be beneficial.


	28. Do You Want to Get Cut, Hat?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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I slid into the empty space between Remus and Antoinette, the wide bell sleeve of my robes brushing up against Remus' cheek as I sat down next to him. I propped my elbows up on the table, glancing down at the cream-colored ceramic plate in front of me. After Headmistress McGonagall had delivered the news of the surprisingly pleasant change to our schedules, the three of us walked arm in arm to the Great Hall, where the rest of our school sat and waited for the Sorting Hat to be placed on the first years' heads. As I passed through the entryway, I spotted Violetta and James standing behind Professor Neville Longbottom, the father of Frank, whom I had yet to see and whom was avoiding Antoinette like the bubonic plague since he was released from his duties as her escort for her birthday party. My sister and cousin looked deathly nervous at the time, their usually bright and mischievous faces pale and anxious. I was glad to be out of her shoes at that moment.

Ash and Hendrix, who had saved seats for the three of us, along with two spaces for Violetta and James whenever they were sorted, waited patiently for all three of us to settle on the benches before they opened their mouths. The minute the Hogwarts Express arrived at the school, Uncle Harry whisked the three of us away, escorting us to Headmistress McGonagall's office as quickly as he could possibly move. They had not seen us in over an hour, and I knew they were beyond vexed with our disappearance. Their usually calm and tranquil expressions were twisted into those of worry and anxiety, and they were prepared to ask ten thousand questions about the punishments the three of us had received.

Before I could say one word to either of them, Ash slammed her thin hand down on the thick wooden table, standing halfway up in her seat. Her pretty, brown eyes narrowed in on my face. "Nine letter word for the punishment I assume you lot got?" she questioned, using one of her now signature crossword puzzles in place of a real sentence. Hendrix's expression cleared of his worries for a minute, and he looked over at Ash with an amused and adoring look on his face instead. Oh, how I would love to be looked at like that.

"Detention!" Calgary chirped from her place on the other side of Hendrix, happy to be playing along. She bounced on her bench in excitement, her now grown out blonde curls moving along with her. She was usually the only one who responded to Ash's word puzzles, and it filled her with excessive joy whenever she got one correct.

Ash clapped her hands to congratulate Calgary, and then set her golden brown eyes on the three of us, all sitting across from her, once again. "Now- you got a detention, right?" her voice was far too motherly for my taste, but that was how Ash had always been since we met her. Very motherly, very protective, very careful.

"Actually," Antoinette disagreed, her voice dripping in obvious haughtiness. She beamed proudly and prepared to boast. "We are going-"

In one swift motion, I kicked Antoinette from under the table; thinking in accord with me, I felt Remus' arm brush against my back as he jabbed my cousin sharply in the ribs with his fingertips. Maybe it was the fact that there were already so many secrets tucked in the back of Remus' and my mind, for we seemed to both know that _not_ telling our friends about third-year Charms would be more beneficial to the three of us. Ash would immediately envy us for taking a class with Hendrix without her; Hendrix would wonder why we did not try to include Ash; Calgary would feel left out and grumble about it for weeks; and Austin… well, there would be no telling how he felt, as we would be lucky to actually hear him express such emotions. With the two hostile attacks against her, Antoinette closed her mouth, glancing over at me to finish her sentence.

"We are going to have sixty points taken from Gryffindor once the feast begins," I completed her sentence for her the way I preferred it to end, and she rolled her eyes. Antoinette hated secrets. She would prefer to blab everything to everyone in an eighty-kilometer radius, no matter what the aftereffects were, but she oftentimes went along with Remus' and my need for secrecy.

"Sixty points?" Austin chimed in, one of the few times we would ever head him speak loud enough to be heard, although I was thankful for his nearly silent interruption. Amongst three Weasleys, Austin's soft voice, laced with a faint Irish accent, often went unheard over our screeches and squeals. I usually had to crane my neck to hear what he said. I did not even have any idea he was Irish until a few weeks after I had met him; the things he said were so often missed that I overlooked the rather obvious fact. I guessed that was one of the many reasons Antoinette made him so apprehensive; he could barely be sure to hear his own very quiet thoughts if she was nearby. "Awful lot to lose on the first day back."

Hendrix chuckled. "Weasleys are _used_ to point losses like this, my friend." He tapped the sketchbook that was resting on the table under his hand, and then glanced up towards the front of the Great Hall. He gestured towards the crowd of nervous, black-clad first years that were collecting near a table that held the Sorting Hat, and pointed directly at my sweet sister Violetta, who was standing in the middle of a cluster of at least six boys, all of them watching her devotedly.

"Oh, Merlin's beard," Antoinette laughed aloud, pushing my arm off the table to get me to look up, even though I already had. "She's another bloody Calgary!"

"Five letter word for watch your _blank._"

* * *

"Weasley, James," Professor Neville Longbottom, the herbology teacher, called out, his rounded face pink from the long list of names he had announced to the entire Great Hall. His voice was rather meek and quiet, but this particular duty was always bestowed upon him. I found it rather ironic that they would put such a shy man in charge of wrangling the first years. It required him to put forth great physical efforts in order to make his voice loud enough to be heard.

My cousin James, who looked like the spitting image of Uncle Harry with Aunt Ginny's sweet eyes, stumbled towards the stool and his Uncle Neville, grinning impishly. He had been waiting for Professor Longbottom to call his name for half an hour, and that waiting was wearing on the very small portion of patience that his parents had passed down to him. James had never been nervous for anything, and the paleness that had overtaken his face wore off almost as quickly as it appeared. Now, he looked pleased to have all eyes on him as he seated himself on the stool, and his eyes scanned the Great Hall until they happily landed on the two empty spots Hendrix had saved for James and Violetta.

I watched carefully as the hat was placed on his head of thick black locks. A few moments passed by silently in the Great Hall. No one uttered a word as they waited for the son of the great Harry and Ginny Potter to be sorted into his house.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat finally shouted.

I looked up towards the table where the professors were seated and saw my uncle let out a deep sigh of relief, pulling out his wand and summoning a piece of parchment on which to write Aunt Ginny and inform her. James was their first child, and I knew Uncle Harry had worried over James' future house since three of the quadruplets and Sirius were left out of Gryffindor. Now that his son was a part of the house his grandfather, James Potter, had so happily abided in, Uncle Harry seemed as if he could rest much easier.

James jumped up from the stool, his long, thin legs stumbling beneath him in his excitement. Like his father, my cousin was incredibly gangly and awkward, and his wiry frame seemed to constantly trip over one thing or another. It never slowed him down, though, and he raced down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw table. He reached the spot saved for him with a flurry of high fives and squeals of congratulations from his family members; Teddy Lupin, who had been seated father down the table with a cluster of his friends, appeared at James' side much more gracefully than James could have ever moved, clapping his hand over his almost-brother's shoulder. James' face was exhilarated, and his excitement was so distracting that Violetta had already sat down on the stool before our attention was yet again drawn to the front of the room.

"That bloody hat," I growled quietly, as the hat took its time pondering the decision it would make. Violetta squirmed under the piece of fabric, her lips moving as she whispered to the hat much like I had. It only figured that my sister would battle with that stupid hat just like I had. Nothing could ever be simple for my family. She was the second to last student to be sorted this year; the only one remaining after her was a small boy I knew to be the son of Blaise Zabini, for Uncle Harry had already informed us to steer James and Violetta far away from him. The Sorting Hat was obviously ready to be done with the sorting, as there had been many first years that year, and he appeared to be taking his impatience out on my sister, who was still whispering to the hat. That hat was a bloody jerk.

_Hat, you will sort my sister into Gryffindor. Do you understand me? Gryffindor. The brave, courageous Godric Gryffindor's house. That is where you will sort Miss Violetta Weasley. That's where she belongs. She's a Weasley. We all belong here. Not that you seem to understand that, for my dear brother is in Slytherin and we all know he does not belong there. You made the correct decision with three of my cousins, of course; they're simply dreadful. Nevertheless, really, Violetta is far from dreadful. So you can feel free to call out "Gryffindor!" now. I have a feeling if you place another Weasley in a house other than this one; you're going to find yourself at the mercy of a very large, sharp pair of scissors. But oh no, don't worry, I won't be using them. My mother will. Because, yes, Sorting Hat, my mother will cut you up into a million tiny pieces if you put poor Violetta where she does not belong. She's very violent. Do you want to get cut, Hat? Do you?_

As if the Sorting Hat had heard the monologue inside my head, it made its decision. "GRYFFINDOR!"

_That's what I thought._


	29. Forgive Us and Let Us Eat

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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"Good afternoon, class," Professor Ani Weasley announced in her quiet but confident voice, walking into her roomy classroom in a flurry of cobalt blue velvet robes and fiery red curls. She stopped in front of the rows of desks arranged in a semicircle to face her desk in the center of the classroom, and she pulled her beautifully carved cedar wand from the side pocket of her custom-made Sapphire robes.

"Good afternoon, Professor Weasley," we all replied in synchronization as children in primary schools did. The looks on the third year students' faces implied that Professor Weasley was one of their favorite teachers all day, and I could understand why; Aunt Ani was cheerful and pleasant at all times, and just being around her seemed to put everyone in a blissfully good mood.

Antoinette, Remus, and I sat in the middle of the classroom, not too close to the front but not too far away, either. Hendrix had spotted us the very instant he walked into the classroom, and his blue eyes were wider than usual. He had yet to say a word to us, because when Hendrix was angry or frustrated with someone, he also grew silent. It bothered him tremendously when people hid things from him, and we had done just that. It would make perfect sense that he would be angered by our secret.

Aunt Ani, whose face was tired, probably from spending the night soothing Christopher and Ophelia to sleep, but still very pleasant, waved her want in the air, conjuring up a flock of bright yellow canaries without uttering a single word. The birds sang a light tune in perfect harmony, and our class gasped in surprise as they watched the birds flit around the end of Professor Weasley's wand. I had viewed such magic many times around my family members, including the aunt that stood before us, so the display did not warrant any surprise from me. In a moment or so, the professor banished the birds away, tucking her wand into her pocket.

"This is third year charms," she stated plainly. "In this class, you will learn more advanced standard spells and charms to assist you in your everyday life. For example, you will be able to charm objects to perform various tasks, such as charming a piece of parchment to never tear. Of course, you will do so with simple incantations; you will be likely unable to conjure a flock of birds without a word until you reach your seventh year here at Hogwarts."

As my aunt continued to speak about exams, the necessary supplies for the class, and the rules on our behavior while under her control, I glanced down at the scratched desktop in front of me. On top of my shiny new Charms textbook, there was a slip of torn parchment with a single _N_ on the outside. I grabbed it before my aunt spotted me, unrolling the piece quickly. As I assumed, it sported Hendrix's neat, blockish print. Of course.

_Nymphadora_,

_What are you doing here? Where is Ash? Moreover, why did you not tell any of us about this?_

_-Hendrix_

I could not remember a time in which Hendrix was capable of silencing the questions that continuously flowed from his mouth. He insisted upon having an answer for everything that passed through his mind, and when he did not, it ended quite badly. In order to avoid the horrible ending looming overhead, I reached for my quill as inconspicuously as possible and scribbled a response.

_H-_

_After the spells we cast on Lily-Marie, McGonagall decided our skills were developed enough to take third year charms. We didn't want to upset you lot at dinner._

_-Nymph_

I folded the piece of parchment in half, and then pulled my wand from my pocket. "_Wingardium leviosa,_" I muttered, almost silently, flicking my wand very gently as to not catch the attentive eye of our professor. The piece of parchment rose into the air and floated across the room towards Hendrix, who sat two rows behind us and a few seats to our left. Before it could land in his possession, however, Professor Weasley took a few quick steps forward, snatching the note from midair.

"Note writing is forbidden in this classroom, Miss Nymphadora," my aunt snapped harshly. It was hard for Aunt Ani to sound so severe when she took up her role as a teacher, but she did it quite well. "Ten points from Gryffindor. That would be your second deduction in barely two days, Weasley. I see you're taking after your father and uncle." She clucked her tongue disapprovingly, probably making a mental note to write Mum later in the day about my misbehavior.

The Slytherins exchanged looks amongst themselves. They might have been pleased, but it is really quite hard to tell. Their faces are generally sporting aggravated scowls or looks of total indifference, depending on the situation. The latter usually implied a positive emotion, but you could never be completely sure. I guessed, however, that they were indeed pleased, because no matter how small the point deduction was, the Slytherin house loved watching Gryffindor lose points. They would spend a lot of time as cheerful as they could be while in a class with Antoinette and me.

"Next time," Professor Weasley continued over the quiet mutterings of annoyed Gryffindors. "I suggest charming the note to be invisible, except to its recipient. It would assist you in staying out of trouble, not to mention I believe you would gain a few more friends in this classroom."

She opened her hand, where the slip of parchment rested on her pale palm. She tossed it in her nephew's direction; he caught it, tucking it into his pocket to read later, either because he was avoiding trouble or because he was annoyed with me enough as it was. Her aunt's cheerful smile returned on her face, and she brandished her wand again. "That will be the first spell we learn today, class. Get out your wands!"

* * *

"How could you not tell _me_ you were going to attend third year Charms classes!?" Ash whined uncharacteristically. She was not usually a whiner, for if the off chance came when she did not get her way, she was easygoing about it and moved on quickly. For some reason, she chose to remain upset about this particular tidbit of information. Maybe she was punishing us by keeping us from dinner. "Isn't that the kind of thing you tell your mates?"

We had already apologized. In fact, we had apologized multiple times. I believe I even apologized in French and Spanish, along with English; Antoinette gave up after a few redundant pleas for forgiveness and disappeared from the common room, and Remus and I were wearing very thin. Antoinette was luckier than she knew, for she could go eat dinner, and while it was likely that she and Ash would be fighting over this for another week at least, her stomach would be full. It had been an hour since Ash had set in on us, bartering us nonstop. Nothing, however, would silence Ash. "Yes, it is. We said we were sorry, Ash," I said, my voice taking on the desperate tone that would soon make her close her mouth- or so I hoped.

"_Very _sorry," Remus added.

"Sorrier than any other person has ever been, throughout history!" I bit my lip before I added in, _"So sorry that we would do absolutely anything to get you to shut that gaping hole in your face!"_ That would probably not gain Remus and me any forgiveness. Although it would be very truthful, it would only add _more_ time before we could finally eat.

Ash crossed her arms over her chest, frowning at us. I hate watching people pout so obviously. It is by far one of the most aggravating things a person can do, pouting. Maybe that is hypocritical, for I am sure I am guilty of pouting at times, but it really is irritating. It would be so much easier for Ash to forgive us already so we could go to dinner. My stomach was growling in protest every time Ash opened her mouth to continue our discussion, and I believe if it were ignored any longer, it would be jumping out of my body and eating Ash-, which, I thought absently, may not be too bad of a thing if she did not _stop_.

"I can't believe you would hide something so important from _me_!" she complained, even louder this time.

Remus' face was twisted into a mixture of exasperation and pure agony. He was so much more patient than I was, but we had been sitting in the common room for an hour. Everyone else had already left for dinner, which had began half an hour before, and by the time Ash finally decided to grant mercy on us and _shut up_, it would be completely over. The thought made my stomach growl out even louder, as if it was really considering gobbling up Ash for withholding food from it. In response to my own stomach, Remus glanced down at his own as it let out a low grumble, and then he sent a pleading look to Ash.

"Ash, _please_. We apologized twenty thousand times, at least. Dora is going to waste away over there, and my stomach is contemplating eating _you_ in replace of a meal."

"Well," Ash said. She wrinkled her nose and further pouted her lips. "I just don't think you deserve to be forgiven. After all, you _lied_ to your best mates."

Without thinking about what I was doing, I had my wand out and pointed in her direction. "There's a reason I was advanced to third year Charms. Unless you want a display of my magical skills, I suggest you forgive us and _let us eat_."


	30. Bloody Frightening

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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"Alright, you lot," Penelope Wood called out, waving her wand in the air and sending off a stream of red and gold colored sparks towards the air above her head to gain our attention. She was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, along with the daughter of the unbelievably famous Oliver Wood, the Keeper of the successful Puddlemere United team. When Newt Fisher transferred from Hogwarts to Durmstrang, the sixth year girl was given the position of captain; she was a vicious Beater and began as the youngest female Beater any Hogwarts team had ever seen, even though she, much like Antoinette, looked to be too delicate to do harm to anyone. Penelope was known for her fierceness on the pitch and off. Her standards were incredibly high, and her practice schedule was intense.

Being on a Quidditch team under her control would surely be one of the most exhausting things I ever did, and yet, I stood in front of her with my broom, prepared to amaze her with my skills. They were in need of a new Seeker, and four other players besides me stood before Penelope, ready to compete for the spot. My confidence wavered slightly as I looked to either side of me at Edward Bones, a slight and agile fourth year, and Audrey Robinson, a third year Muggleborn whose dexterity while flying had been discovered the year before. Both of the older students looked highly capable of winning over Penelope during the trials, and I looked down at my feet, my previous assurance completely gone.

"Gryffindor has won the House Cup twelve years in a row," Penelope announced, strength and power rippling from underneath her gentle, dulcet tones. She summoned her Firebolt to her side, gripping it in her tanned, calloused hand, and flung her dark brown hair away from her crimson fabric-covered shoulder. A few of the students that stood on the pitch stared enviously at her expensive, professional broom; I, as a gift from my parents for my twelfth birthday, received the same broom, but none of them had yet to notice it. "And I don't plan on breaking that streak this year. We're looking for one Chaser, to play alongside Weasley and Hayes. Chasers are responsible for the Quaffle-," Penelope pointed at the scarlet red of strange proportions in my cousin's hand from where he stood by her side. "And they score goals in those hoops."

I glanced around the pitch at the others who had formed a semicircle around Penelope and the senior members of the team, Hendrix Weasley and Daniel Hayes. Each of the prospective _male _team members stared attentively at Penelope, including Hendrix. She did not really have to put forth any effort to gain their attention, proving the sparks she shot off only to be a way of further putting the spotlight on her. The Beater was intimidating _and_ beautiful, not to mention an avid lover of Quidditch, and that seemed to make her a goddess to the men standing out on the pitch. Even amongst the rest of the witches and wizards on the pitch, she seemed to have a so much more magical quality than the rest. I glanced over at Ash, who was standing a meter or so away from me next to Antoinette, their almost matching eyes narrowing at Penelope, who had the attention of both Austin and Hendrix.

"We also need a Keeper, who protects these hoops against the Chasers of the other team, a Seeker to catch the Golden Snitch, and of course, a Beater to play beside me. _Not _that I couldn't handle two Bludgers on my own," Penelope boasted, and then giggled haughtily. She mounted her broom swiftly, pushing off the ground with the smooth heels of the gold colored trainers she wore with her crimson Quidditch robes.

Penelope Wood made me despite sixteen year olds.

* * *

An hour had passed by in the wet September weather, and it was obvious that Penelope had decided to save the Seekers for the very last. I was chilled to the bone, for it began to rain for fifteen minutes and my scarlet jumper was soaked through. All of those standing on the pitch were sopping wet and freezing, except for Penelope, who was unshaken by the rain in her charmed clothing. The dark haired angel floated a few meters above the muddy pitch, staring down at the prospects with her piercing blue eyes. She had already been thrilled exceedingly when she discovered Antoinette. As she announced to the members of the team, including her new Chaser, my dear Ash, and the new Keeper, a fourth year named Evan Holland, her blue eyes lit up; she called Antoinette a mini version of her, and I chuckled to myself when my cousin grimaced at the comparison. I was not the only one who was less than fond of Penelope at that moment.

Penelope waved her hand at Jacob Kinsey, the third year known for his impossibly lanky frame, who I had previously met in my Charms class; he possessed the quick thinking necessary for a Seeker, not to mention his slight build and fast reflexes. Kinsey cast a sidelong glance to me as I stood behind him. He winked one glittering brown eye at me, just as he did every morning in Charms, before mounting his broom and pushing off to meet Penelope in the air.

Somehow, I was the last Seeker prospect to enter the air. It took another hour before Penelope finally called out, "Nymphadora Weasley?" and waved for me to join her. I had tried my hardest to avert my eyes from the others as they performed for the captain, to allow my confidence to slowly return to the normal power it had over me. I threw my leg over the back of my Firebolt, pressed upward into the air, and soared forward; I stopped sharply at Penelope's side, my performance starting brilliantly.

The captain opened her small palm, exposing the Golden Snitch. I stared at it for a moment, before she closed her hand over it again. "I will release the Snitch; it is charmed to not leave the pitch, and you will be timed to see how it takes for you to find and capture it. If you beat the times of the other four competitors, you will become the new Seeker on the Gryffindor team- the first female Seeker we have had since Ginny Weasley."

Before allowing her to begin the time, I narrowed my eyes. "I _know_ Ginny Weasley. She's my aunt."

Penelope did not respond. She opened her hand, quickly tossing the Snitch up into the air. With the other hand, she waved her wand, conjuring a stopwatch that began to tick as the Snitch flew off away from where Penelope and I floated on our broomsticks.

I shot off in the direction I saw it disappear, my Firebolt rapidly accelerating in the direction I had watched the Golden Snitch fly. I had spent so much time on the Quidditch pitch in my family's yard, chasing after the Snitch that my father always let loose for me. He, along with the rest of my uncles, trained me for this very day, and that memory remained in the back of my mind as I plunged forward through the moist air. Within a few minutes, I spotted a flash of gold diving downward in front of me. I dove towards it, bolting towards the Golden Snitch. As it darted away from me and I neared closer to the ground, I remembered a story Uncle Harry had told me about one of the dangerous ways he had caught the sneaky object during a match in his seventh year, after the war was over.

With a reckless idea that would be sure to make Ash cringe fearfully, I leapt off my Firebolt, pushing it away from me as I tumbled through the air. I launched myself towards the Golden Snitch, grabbing it between my fingers as I catapulted towards the ground. Uncle Harry had done it once. I remember the story clearly. He had ended up in the Hospital Wing with a few broken bones. I assumed the fate would be the same for me, but I deemed it worthy, for I had the Snitch clutched in my hands.

I neared the muddy Quidditch pitch rapidly, closing my eyes so I would not see the impact I made in the wet ground. It had been three minutes, approximately, between the times Penelope had began the stopwatch and the Snitch hit my hand; I knew for a fact that this time was fast enough to win me my deserved spot on the Quidditch team, even if I would spend a bit of time in the Hospital Wing for it. As everything in my mind went pleasantly black and hazy from the speed at which I plummeted towards the ground, I felt a set of arms close in around my thin body, a feeling indeed favorable to hitting the ground with the full force of my weight. The last thing I remembered from my fall was those strong arms around me, and then everything was an indistinguishable blur of frantic voices and sudden movements.

**

* * *

**

"Nymphadora!" someone's soft voice whispered to me. My eyes remained shut tightly, even though I was fully awake now and ready to speak to whomever was talking to me. "Nymphadora, please wake up. _Please_ wake up. Dora, Dora, Dora… _wake up_."

The owner of the voice was obvious to me as my brain slowly came to realization. It was Remus Jordan… my dear friend Remus. Not wanting to put him through any prolonged waiting for me to open my eyes again, I lifted my eyelids, exposing myself to his warm, sweet brown eyes one again. I smiled when I saw him. "Hello, Remy," I murmured to him, pushing myself up on my elbows.

As my eyes adjusted to the light around me, I found myself to be in a bed in the Hospital Wing, just the place I assumed my stupidity would lead me. Around me stood Jacob Kinsey, Penelope Wood, Calgary, and Ash, along with most of my cousins, save for the three triplets. On one side of my bed, Sirius was perched, staring down at me with worried emerald green eyes to match mine; on the other side, Remus clasped my left hand with both of his. Both of them were such worriers.

"I'm awake, Remus. Calm down," I rolled my eyes at my friend. "And Sirius, wipe that look off your face."

Sirius laughed at me. "Typical. You _purposefully _fall off a broom a good thirty meters off the ground, you only avoided seriously broken bones because of Jordan here, and then you yell at me for being worried. You are so like Mum."

I ignored him, looking back at Remus. "You caught me?"

Remus' entire face a dark scarlet color, which reached the tips of his ears in a matter of seconds. He so rarely blushed, so I had to smile at the sight. Just like always, Remus looked unimaginably adorable, and on top of that, he had saved me from cracked ribs. He did not have to nod in reply to my question for me to know his answer. The crimson shade of his face gave me all the answer I needed.

"Oh, Remus!" I cried out in an uncharacteristically girlish way. I launched myself forward, wrapping my arms around his smooth neck. Pressing my face into his shoulder, I whispered soft enough for only him to hear, "Thank you so much, love."

Just like our embrace on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of the school year, I became completely unaware of the crowd of people surrounding my bed. Perhaps an hour might have passed with my face buried in Remus' thin black cloak and his arms around my waist before I finally realized I was in the presence of so many people, if Penelope Wood had not coughed. The gentle sound woke me from the daze I was already in, and I backed away from Remus to look up at the Gryffindor captain. She was still clad in her crimson Quidditch robes, which were devoid of mud and grass stains, unlike most of the other players who were in the room, and her dark brown hair spilled effortlessly over her shoulders. I reckoned I looked like an utter mess from my reckless dive earlier that afternoon, and there was Penelope, as perfect and lovely as usual.

Without saying anything even slightly comforting, Penelope took a step towards me. "Just so you know, Weasley- you're our new Seeker. I'll see you at practice tomorrow morning. Six o'clock sharp."

This statement filled me with even more joy than learning that Remus was the one who had saved me from severe injury. I jumped up again, my eyes widening in elation. Everyone in the room whispered to each other, the excitement they exhibited perfectly clear to me, even though my eyes were set on Penelope. "Really?"

Penelope took yet another step towards me, her eyebrows arching over her dangerously flashing eyes. "I wouldn't joke about Quidditch," she stated solemnly, before turning on her heel and gliding out of the Hospital Wing. The door slammed behind her, and every girl in the room seemed to breathe easier when she was gone. Her beautiful and intense presence made every female incredibly uncomfortable.

Sirius looked at me, his eyes already transformed into a flattering shade of silver. "Are you _sure_ you want to play Quidditch this year? That girl is bloody frightening."


	31. I Would Regret This

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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Charms quickly became my favorite class of the week; I had it every day for forty-five minutes, and every single day, I counted down the time impatiently all throughout my first three classes of the day. I'm easily the most intelligent person in my class- wow, really humble of me. But it's truthful, too. I mean, I know that probably is not very fair to say, seeing as my cousin _and _my best friend/the boy I like were also in that class, but it really is true. They keep up quite well with me on most days, but as a rule, I am the top of our third year Charms class. Even over the third years. Except Jacob Kinsey, who is- surprisingly- sharp, despite how dim-witted I found him to be at first; he is generally neck and neck with me in class, although I often pull through as the winner. I like being able to tell my classmates that I have better grades than third years, as a twelve year old. It's brilliant. Aunt Ani found it brilliant, as well. She adored having someone in her class adore Charms as much as she did, especially as a member of her family, and she was very proud of my achievements; I would never tell her that I was not so much fond of Charms as I was fond of being better at it than everyone else was.

"Who has successfully performed the _Reparo_ charm?" Professor Weasley called out, pushing back her chair so she could walk around the classroom and examine her students' products.

All of my classmates shifted in their seats, their envious eyes casting glances in my direction. As they assumed by their not-so-subtle looks towards me, the previously shattered pile of glass on the table in front of me was now a perfectly unbroken glass tumbler. Ten minutes before, she explained the spell to us- it was a rather simple spell that I _thought_ was something everyone learned before they even bought their first wand- made us practice the uncomplicated incantation, and then summoned enough glass tumblers for the entire class. Professor Weasley proceeded to wave her wand and smash each glass on the table before us, and then assigned us the mission of using our new spell to repair the glass. It took me less than fifteen seconds, while Antoinette and Remus were still annoyingly tapping their wands to the glass shards. I smiled smugly when I absorbed the jealous looks even my two closest friends were throwing at me. I would hear them complain about my haughtiness later, surely.

"Oh!" Aunt Ani clapped her bony hands together excitedly. I do not even know why she bothers to fake surprise when she sees that I, once again, have finished the assignment within a few minutes of giving it to us. "Perfect, Nymphadora! Look here, class. This is your expected result from the proper use of the _Reparo_ spell. Now, how many of you have got something like this?"

Jacob Kinsey shot a look at me from the other side of the class, winking as he always does. I do not have any inkling as to why that strange boy was constantly winking at me. He kind of looks like he has some sort of eye twitch. If he wasn't so good-looking and only ever winking at me alone, people would probably make fun of him. I, as the only person he seemed to wink at or at least the only person who noticed, would never make fun of Kinsey, of course. That would be too mean. Deserved, though. He really does look funny, continuously winking at me every time he sees me.

"Brilliant job," he mouthed at me, before raising his hand to show my aunt his now-repaired glass.

See? I told you he was_ almost_ as good at Charms as I was. Almost, of course. Not just as good, or too close to being as good. Nevertheless, somewhat close. I am very attached to the word 'somewhat' in that sentence. Merlin-forbid someone begins to excel higher than me in Charms. We would have ourselves a mighty big problem on our hands.

Professor Weasley clapped again. This time, the surprise on her face was a little more realistic. Kinsey's chances of successfully performing any spell he was given were high, but not always dependable. My chances were, at all times, very reliable; one hundred percent. "Lovely job, Kinsey!" she chirped, pleased with him. She glanced around the classroom. No other hands were raised. No other glasses were in a complete state, or anywhere close to being in such. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then sighed. If we had any chance of moving on to another new spell today, it was now gone. Lovely.

"Nymphadora?" her voice sounded a little stressed out. It was not her fault that most of my class was hopeless with Charms. They were just all a little slow. Except Remus and Antoinette. I do not know _why_ they were having so much trouble today. They usually finished shortly after Kinsey and I, however Remus' eyes were still fixed on the pile of glass before him and Antoinette had just finally produced a nicely restored beaker, even though it took her fifteen times.

"Yes, Professor?"

"I am excusing Kinsey and yourself from class for the last thirty minutes. Enjoy your free time."

I stared up at my aunt, who had never let any of her students leave class early. Of course, I had no interest in arguing with her and asking her if she was sure she desired to let us out. Quickly, I shoved my books into my slightly battered bag, and then got to my feet. On my way towards the door, Remus looked up from his now-whole tumbler.

"I'll see you at lunch?" he whispered, smiling shyly. That was as close to a date as a pair of twelve year olds like us would get for a few years.

"Always," I responded, my cheeks turning a little pink as they usually did whenever he smiled at me that way. Then I rushed away from him, towards Kinsey who was waiting for me by the door. The gangly thirteen year old allowed me to step out in front of him, guiding me out the door in a gentlemanly fashion, and then fell into step close by my side.

Kinsey put his hand on the middle of my back. I jumped at the touch. It was odd for anyone, especially a boy I barely knew, to make such a gesture. He barely noticed my surprise. "You goin' back to the common room?" he questioned. I turned to look up at him, pausing for a moment, as I tried to think of what sounded so different about Jacob Kinsey and the sentence he had just uttered. Everything he had ever said to me over the two months I had known him sounded strange, and I could not for the life of me figure out why. "Well, are you?"

Oh! Kinsey was _American_! That would explain it. He had the same accent as my mother, who could easily pass off as British now that she has lived here for so long, and he seemed to enunciate every word he spoke, also like my mother. It is rare to meet an American at Hogwarts. That would explain why I didn't notice it at first.

"Probably," I answered him, once I was over my new discovery of the day. "Well, yes. I definitely am. I left my potions book in my dormitory and Professor-"

"I'll walk you there," he interrupted. It was rather rude of him to do so, but it would be hypocritical of me to become annoyed. I'm _always _guilty of interrupting people. I think it's a twin thing, because Sirius and I interrupt all the time when we're talking to each other, but we're capable of finishing each other's sentences. I guess it's become a habit.

"N-no, that's all right," I stuttered awkwardly. "I know the way."

Kinsey laughed at me. He even _laughed_ different. Americans. "Did you think that I was offering to walk you to the common room, because I doubted your ability to get there on your own?"

I noticed that his hand was still resting on my back. Other than Remus and my family members, no boys had ever been so close to putting their arm around me. After all, I'm only twelve. Girls my age _shouldn't_ have boys always beside them and all over them. These sorts of encounters weren't supposed to occur for another year, at the very least. Maybe even two. But of course, Kinsey was _not_ twelve. He was a year older, perhaps a little over, and these clumsy strolls down the hallway together were completely normal for third years. I see third year students coupled and walking like this all the time- when they liked each other. Meaning… _Kinsey liked me_. Oh, how I hate my innocence.

* * *

Being alone with a boy is awkward. I don't know what to say or do, and I don't want to completely embarrass myself in front of Re- oh, wait. I wasn't alone with Remus. I was alone with Jacob Kinsey. In no way, shape, or form was Kinsey anywhere close to being comparable to Remus. While he was handsome in his own way, I preferred Remus' always-neat appearance and soft brown eyes to Kinsey's boyish, disheveled air and messily tousled blond curls. Ugh, there I go again with the comparisons. For the entire twenty minutes I sat in the common room with Kinsey, all I could do was _compare_. The similarities and differences between two people are insipid things to focus on- and they don't help much with the awkwardness, either.

"It's time for lunch," Kinsey pointed out.

"Oh?" I looked up from my potions book. Two minutes into the awkward twenty spent in the common room in front of the blazing fire, I pulled my book out of the bag on the floor by my feet, trying my hardest to read about the wolfsbane potion, even though it would not be covered in class until March, at the earliest. I had watched Antoinette pull a book from her bag whenever she was nervous or avoiding something, and I hoped it would work for me. It ended Kinsey's hopeless attempts for conversation, but I still felt like a blundering idiot. Hopefully, Kinsey had not noticed that my easily sidetracked self had been reading the same page since the book exited my purse. When Kinsey nodded in confirmation, I slammed my potions textbook closed and glanced at the emerald green plastic watch on my wrist. It was three quarters of an hour past eleven, and thank Merlin, it _was _time for lunch.

There was nothing wrong with Kinsey. Really. I make it out to seem like every second I spent around him was dull and dreadful, but really, he is quite interesting. Not to mention a lovely sight to look at. But, after all, I am _twelve_. I have no idea how I'm supposed to talk to boys that aren't Remus or my brothers and cousins, and every attempt Kinsey made at starting a conversation made me feel like a stuttering troll. Surely, he was thankful for lunch to arrive. He could escape my bumbling presence and find a pretty third year girl who is capable of coherent sentences. I, on the other hand, would rush to Remus and Antoinette, possibly collapsing in tears next to them while I ranted about my inability to talk to the opposite sex. Any second now, Kinsey would be running out of the common room, happy to get away from the uncomfortable air between the two of us. I looked up at him; he was watching me as he had been for most of the hour in the common room, and he didn't look like he would be fleeing anytime soon. But he had to be. There was no possible way he would want to willingly spend another second around my strange little self.

"Do you want to come for a walk with me by the Black Lake, Dora?"

Maybe I was completely wrong. Maybe Jacob Kinsey did not think I was that much of a blithering moron. Maybe this thirteen-year-old boy fancied me more than I thought he did at first. He smiled at me, and I felt nervous and awkward again. But instead of turning to leave and meet with Remus and Antoinette for lunch, I stood up, reaching for the hand that he stretched out towards me.

I would regret this.


	32. I'll Drop Myself

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"_Where have you been_!?" Antoinette hissed at me the very second I sat my things down at our usual table near the back of the Potions classroom. She looked rather murderous, which seems to be a more common facial expression for her nowadays, as a Gryffindor Beater. Her face fit the atmosphere that surrounded us; the dungeon classroom was just as dark and cold as the rest of the dungeons, as Professor Divinity made no efforts to warm the place up at all. Antoinette's golden eyes were as stony as the floor I was standing on, and I wanted to _Avada Kedavra _myself for how stupid I had been. The idea I had convinced myself of- oh, Remus and Nettie won't mind if I miss out on lunch with them today!- was very obviously the most incorrect I had been in a very long time. "You _completely_ abandoned us today. Remus was devastated."

Oh, I really doubt that.

Before I sat down next to my cousin, I looked towards the table a few rows in front of us where Remus generally sat. The other boy who shared the table with him, Frank Longbottom, was already seated, staring at his Potions book and still looking rather dejected, like he often did whenever in a class with Antoinette. Merlin's beard, that boy must have been obsessed with her, because this whole she-went-and-got-a-new-escort thing is really taking him for a loop. Anyway… Remus' seat was empty. That was strange.

Wait… _what_!? Remus wasn't in _Potions_? He _loved_ Potions. If it was possible for humans to marry school subjects, he would do it. In a heartbeat, Remy would be sure to choose Potions over Antoinette, Ash, Hendrix, and even _me_. He was brilliant at Potions, too, which may have explained his sometimes-odd passion for it. He was the only person to never blow a cauldron up in his face and lose his eyebrows during our first year at Hogwarts. I had even done it once or twice, and Antoinette was the Queen of Exploding Cauldrons. Uncle Harry called her the female Seamus Finnegan, whatever _that_ is supposed to mean. But as I was saying, Remus was deeply in love with Potions, and he loved every single minute he spent in that cold, dingy dungeon classroom. Never, no matter the circumstances, would he miss Potions.

"Where… Antoinette, where is Remus!?"

My cousin scoffed at me, rolling her gold eyes. She flung her raven hair behind her shoulder, which was a simple gesture that was filled with a lot more irritation than she was showing. "Hendrix saw you with that Kinsey boy," she practically spat his name at me. See? I told you I would regret taking his hand. I just _knew_ it. "He mentioned it when Remus started wondering where you'd run off to. When he told us, Remy was like a brokenhearted puppy, and he just _left_. I haven't seen him since then."

"He just _disappeared_? Why would he-"

"Personally, I think you've given him _plenty _of reason to 'just disappear'. You didn't bother to help him in Charms when you could see him struggling, you ran off with _Jacob Kinsey_, and you ditched him- not to mention me, your cousin and your best mate of _twelve years_- without even telling us that you weren't going to show up."

I rolled my eyes back at the always melodramatic Antoinette. "It's not like you lot _own_ me or something. I don't owe you explanations every time I go somewhere. If I go somewhere without telling you, they won't send me to Azkaban. I'm free to do whatever I want- without your approval." Ouch. That was probably one of the stupider moves I could've made.

Antoinette's eyes narrowed dangerously. Yes, it was _definitely_ one of the stupidest moves I've ever made. I'll be regretting that one, too. "So you're free to hurt Remy, who has _never_ been anything but a perfect sweetheart around you? Remy, the boy who somehow adores everything about you, despite the fact that you're a barmy little _prat_? Merlin, are you going to drop everybody who cares about you once you find someone older or nicer-looking that takes an interest in you?"

"It shouldn't matter to you _what _I do."

"Then that's perfectly fine with me, dear cousin," Antoinette's voice dropped to a low rumble, much like my mother's often did. Maybe they really _were_ related. No one in my entire family was capable of nearly silencing themselves when they were angry. They began to scream and yell, not murmur so quietly it was almost inaudible. In my personal opinion, however, the soft whisper Antoinette was currently using to speak to me was much scarier than Grandmum Weasley's full-out holler. _Much_. "I won't wait around to be dropped. I'll drop myself."

I couldn't think of anything scathing to say in return. Antoinette managed to do that, somehow. She used that frighteningly quiet voice on me, and it stopped me in my tracks long enough for my thought processes to go on without me. "You have fun with that," I snapped back at her finally, even though it was lame and completely unnecessary. "You won't be missed."

"Nice, Nymphadora," she responded quickly, already getting to her feet. "Real bloody brilliant."

The heavy wooden door at the back of the dungeon classroom slammed shut, followed by the click of high-heeled shoes on the stone floor. "Ten points from Gryffindor, Ms. Antoinette," Professor Divinity announced as she glided into the dungeon, her pure black robes flying behind her. If she had a hood to cover her face, the menacing woman would look more like a Dementor than a relatively young and not so unattractive woman. However, with her dark robes, pin-straight ebony hair that hung halfway down her back, alabaster skin, and practically black eyes, she would have to settle as the most evil looking woman to ever enter Hogwarts- and that even tops Bellatrix Lestrange. The professor was almost young enough to be a Slytherin student, but instead, she was the head of their house. Typical.

Antoinette hated Professor Divinity, she hated having points taken from Gryffindor for her horribly dirty mouth- even though such language was commonplace as the daughter of a Weasley twin- and she, at that moment, hated _me_. Before anyone could stop her, her books were tucked away in her bag, and she was out the door. Lovely. I'm just destroying one friendship after the other today. I knew I was going to regret this.


	33. St Mungo's

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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"Remus?" I threw the door of the second year boys' dormitory open, not at all concerned with what or whom I would find inside. I knew it was completely against the rules for the girls to enter the boys' dormitory, but if they didn't even put up a charm to prevent it, it obviously wasn't that important of a rule. Therefore, I ignored it, searching desperately for my best friend just as I had been since I ran out of Defense against the Dark Arts, another class from which my dear Remus was gone. My attempts were useless, though. No one had seen him since lunch, and even then, no one noticed where he was going. Not only had I lost Antoinette, in the emotional sense, I had also lost Remus- physically lost him. "Remus, where _are_ you?"

Harry Templeton, one of the many students at Hogwarts named after my Uncle Harry Potter, looked up from the Charms textbook he was scanning from his bed on the other side of the dormitory. He was the bookish type, and I very rarely saw him without a textbook in his hands. "Nymphadora, you aren't supposed to be in here!" he scolded me.

Like I had any patience for that. "Where's Remus!?" I snapped at him, considering the numerous jinxes I could throw at him if he didn't tell me _immediately_. Ah, how I loved being the niece of Ginny Potter, known all throughout Hogwarts for her infamously nasty Bat-Bogey Hex. I could easily use that hex to my advantage if Templeton didn't give me an answer in the next thirty seconds. "Where is he?"

"McGonagall came to get him when he was up here during lunch. She said it was incredibly important. He hasn't been back since, and I don't-"

Before Harry could even finish his sentence, I was out of the boys' dormitory, flying down the stairs. I launched myself out of the portrait hole, stumbling over people who refused to clear themselves from my path. I was a twelve year old with a very important mission, not to mention I was a redheaded Weasley _and_ a daughter of a Black, and that made me beyond dangerous. Thanks to the situation I landed myself in at the beginning of the year, I knew exactly where Headmistress McGonagall's office was, and I made my way there as quickly as I could.

The large stone statue that would allow me to enter the office croaked out, "Password?"

I meowed at the statue just as Uncle Harry had when he was dragging Antoinette, Remus, and I to our punishment, and then waited impatiently for the door to open. When it finally did, I threw myself into McGonagall's office, barely stopping before I ran into her desk. Headmistress McGonagall sat behind her desk, her eyes fixed on me when I sprinted into the room. Her catlike eyes narrowed at me. "Do you need something, Ms. Weasley?"

"I need…" I panted heavily. Running was not have as favorable as flying was, because it was ten times more work and not half as exhilarating. So, despite the urge I was faced with to find Remus as fast as I possibly could, running was probably one of the worse means of transportation I could've chosen. It was likely the worst, second only to riding on the back of a flobberworm. I was completely devoid of oxygen. Silently to myself, I swore I would never run again; I don't think my body could handle it. "I need to know… where Remus is."

"You mean Mr. Jordan?" the headmistress raised her eyebrows at me.

"Yes, Mr. Jordan, ma'am," I nodded my head vigorously.

Headmistress McGonagall folded her hands on her desk in front of her, pursing her lips as she always did right before she delivered bad news. "Mr. Jordan was called home; his mother was badly injured earlier this morning and taken to St. Mungo's, and it was imperative that Remus be with his family at that time. Now, Ms. Weasley, I have many things to attend to, and-"

"I need to see Remus, _immediately_."

His mother was injured? She was in St. Mungo's? But people were only admitted to St. Mungo's when something was dreadfully wrong. There was no way his mother, vivacious, kindhearted Angelina Jordan, could be seriously injured and in St. Mungo's. Merlin's beard, she only played Quidditch for Puddlemere United. The only thing that resulted from Quidditch was a few broken bones here or there from a collision or a rogue Bludger, and that could be mended in an instant. I could barely believe McGonagall; if it wasn't for her somber expression, I wouldn't believe her.

"That is simply not possible," McGonagall responded gravely. "He needs to spend time with his family."

I leaned over her desk, slamming my hands down on it. "I need to see him _now_!" I insisted as strongly as I was capable of. I should not have dared act that way around the headmistress, who already had enough reason to severely punish me, but it was urgent that I be with Remus, especially if his mother was seriously injured. He would need me at that moment, and there was no way she could possibly keep me from him. "Headmistress, it's crucial. Either you send me to St. Mungo's, or I'll Floo my mother, and she can take me to him. I don't really care which way you choose, but somehow, I'm _going to see Remus_." I was sure my threat to contact my mother would get her. Paige Weasley, née Black, was a very intimidating woman, and even Headmistress McGonagall could not have wanted an angry Black in her office. No person in his or her right mind would.

"I'm afraid, Ms. Weasley, that despite your threats, I will not acquiesce. I am sure your mother would understand the Jordan family's need to be alone with Angelina at this moment. Please return to your dormitory immediately, and any further disturbance from you will be handled as I see fit," the headmistress replied, her tone much more menacing than I would have thought her capable. She softened when she saw my broken expression, reaching out to touch my hand. "I know you care about Mr. Jordan dearly, Ms. Weasley, but it is my duty as headmistress to do what is best for all students. I am truly sorry, dear."

I looked down at my feet, acting as if I truly understood what the headmistress was saying. Yes, she was right. Remus needed to be with his mother, especially if she was severely injured as McGonagall had implied. However, I was his closest friend, and no matter how ruddy horrid I had been to him, he would soon need me, too. He deserved for me to be there to comfort him. And I _refused_ to let her say no to me. I turned sharply, heading towards the door. Somehow, I would find a way to get to Remus, with or without McGonagall.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a jar of Floo Powder on the mantel over the extinguished fireplace. It was almost as if the house elves knew I would need to travel through that fireplace, and they didn't light it that afternoon. In a fleeting second, I was across the office and my fingers were grabbing a pinch of Floo Powder. As I stepped into the fireplace, I could've sworn I saw a slight smile on Headmistress McGonagall's face.

"St. Mungo's!"


End file.
